When a movie is just a movie. When nothing is made for a franchise and the story is priority. This Hollywood does not exist anymore.

Whenever anyone says 'Oh, Stallone, he can't act worth shit' then this is certainly the movie to show them.  His monologue at the end... hugely moving.

"All I wanted was something to eat!" - Rambo, John J.

Seriously ... they just don't make 'em like this any more.

“I don’t think you understand. I didn’t come here to rescue Rambo from you. I came here to rescue you from him.”

—Col Trautman

Hard to believe that First Blood is 40 years old! This film has aged like fine wine!

"NOTHING IS OVER!!! NOTHING!!! YOU DONT JUST TURN IT OFF!!!"

"Back there I could fly a gunship, I could drive a tank, I was in charge of million dollar equipment! Back here I can't even hold a job PARKING CARS!!!"

My father once said, "some movies are so good, you can mute the sound and the actors tell the story with their eyes". Sylvester Stallone and Brian Dennehy can act the paint right off the walls, without saying a word. At each point of escalation this movie draws me in to the point where I'm not aware of time passing - this film has captured me.

A great movie that shines a light on PTSD without saying the name.

the ending monologue by rambo showcases stallone's acting talent more than any other movie he's ever made

I'm lucky that my dad considered watching the Rambo movies with his sons as an important part of our upbringing

The best scene is when Rambo reaches out to hug Trautman.  As soon as Rambo clutches him, he raises his head as he comes to realize the true emotional pain Rambo is dealing with.  Then Trautman starts to pat Rambo...Trautman's facial expression is GREAT ACTING. He saw what war can do to a trained killer...in the  end, we're all human and need human compassion and love.

I’ve always said that for as silly and over the top some of their sequels got, the original ‘Rocky’ and ‘First Blood’ were well-crafted masterpieces.

In the novel Tiegel is a Korea war veteran, and there is this disdain that he feels towards Vietnam veterans for fighting a "dirty" war, as opposed to the more "conventional and clean" way that the Korea war was fought by contrast is addressed.

That a Korea war veteran can hold a some manner of grudge towards a Vietnam war veteran due to the way that the media and national hero worship has changed from black/white to shades of grey, was one of the more thought provoking themes in the novel.  

This aspect of the novel was left on the cutting room floor, but if you watch First Blood in HD, you can see his medals displayed in his office, and his dialogue in the forest about spreading out and moving in military style searching patterns also gives away some military training.

I love how the film opens and we see Rambo on a bright, lovely day. He's friendly to some kids and initiates the conversation with his friends wife. It's not till he learns his last war buddy is dead that he the shots emphasize how lonely Rambo is. He's walking on the side of the highway with zero interest in hitching a ride. He is truly alone.

That's like 6 minutes of the story.

By the 16th minute he's breaking out of the police station.

Phenomenal writing.

this  story is when you've got nothing left to lose, you're the most dangerous man alive

First blood is EASILY on my list of movies that can be called masterpieces.

Fun fact, while shootimg the canyon scene where Rambo is injured and sews up his own wound.  To check to see how realistic the wound on his arm was, Stallone went to a local hospital over a lunch break with the movie wound still on his arm, blood still pumping through the hidden tube underneath. He even left the makeshift, sewing job Rambo does on his wound for the nurses to see. Naturally, they were freaking out about this. Stallone just asked for Tylenol or some form of pain reliever, to which the nurses told him he was the “toughest man we’ve ever met.” So that answers that. Nurses approved.

I used that ending monologue for my theater class final and when you actually allow those words to hit you- damn, it’s a powerful speech. I’m not saying I nailed it… but I am saying it nailed me.

The worst part of multiple combat deployments in Iraq, i can say from experience that the worst part of war was coming back "home."