First Blood

First Blood is a 1982 American action film starring Sylvester Stallone as Vietnam War veteran John Rambo. The film was directed by Ted Kotcheff and co-written by Michael Kozoll, William Sackheim, and Stallone based on the 1972 novel First Blood by David Morrell. It is the first installment in the Rambo film series. The story follows Rambo, who, after entering a small town and clashing with the police, attempts to fight in order to survive a manhunt using his expertise in survival and combat skills obtained from fighting in Vietnam. The film costars Richard Crenna as Rambo's mentor Colonel Sam Trautman and Brian Dennehy as Sheriff Will Teasle. First Blood was released in the United States on October 22, 1982. Initial reviews were mixed, but the film was a box-office success, grossing $125.2 million and becoming the 13th-highest-grossing film at the domestic box office for the year and the seventh-highest-grossing film worldwide. In 1985, it also became the first Hollywood blockbuster to be released in China, holding the record for the largest number of tickets sold for an American film until 2018. Since its release, it has been reappraised by critics, with many highlighting the roles of Stallone, Dennehy and Crenna, and recognizing it as an influential film in the action genre. The film's success spawned the Rambo franchise, consisting of four sequels co-written by and starring Stallone, an animated television series, a comic books series, a novelization series and several video games. It was followed by Rambo: First Blood Part II, released in 1985. A prequel, John Rambo is scheduled to be released in 2027.

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