First Blood (1982) is an action-drama film directed by Ted Kotcheff, based on the 1972 novel by David Morrell. It stars Sylvester Stallone as John Rambo, a former Green Beret and Vietnam War veteran struggling to adjust to civilian life after years of trauma and loss.
The story begins as Rambo arrives in the small town of Hope, Washington, searching for a fellow soldier from his unit. When he learns that his friend has died from cancer caused by Agent Orange exposure, Rambo becomes deeply saddened and begins wandering aimlessly. His presence soon catches the attention of Sheriff Will Teasle (Brian Dennehy), who sees Rambo as a drifter and troublemaker. Teasle orders him to leave town, but when Rambo refuses, the sheriff arrests him for vagrancy and resisting arrest.
At the police station, the deputies treat Rambo harshly—mocking him and triggering painful flashbacks of being tortured as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. Overwhelmed by his trauma, Rambo fights back, escapes from custody, and flees into the nearby mountains. This begins an intense manhunt led by Teasle and his deputies. Despite being outnumbered, Rambo’s survival skills and military training allow him to outsmart and incapacitate his pursuers without killing them.
The situation quickly escalates when the National Guard is called in, turning the forest into a war zone. Rambo’s former commander, Colonel Samuel Trautman (Richard Crenna), arrives and warns the authorities that they are dealing with a highly trained soldier who “was the best.” Trautman tries to reason with both sides, urging Rambo to surrender peacefully, but Rambo, feeling betrayed and misunderstood, refuses to give up easily.
Rambo eventually returns to town and confronts Teasle in a tense and emotional showdown. Cornered and wounded, Rambo finally breaks down, expressing his anguish over how veterans like him were treated after the war—discarded, traumatized, and forgotten. Trautman manages to calm him and convince him to surrender.
First Blood ends not with triumph but with tragedy and reflection. It portrays Rambo not as a violent hero, but as a broken man—a symbol of the psychological scars carried by many Vietnam veterans. The film’s powerful mix of action and emotion made it a landmark in the genre and launched one of cinema’s most enduring characters.
