First Blood (1982) (15)
A From Page to Screen Fringe Event
Ripe for reappraisal, the first and best outing for Sylvester Stallone’s rugged Vietnam War veteran, John Rambo, based on David Morrell’s 1972 novel. Described by the New York Times as a “fierce, agile, hollow-eyed hero” and a “tormented, misunderstood, amazingly resourceful victim of the Vietnam War”, Stallone’s creation rapidly became an icon for Reagan-era America. Indeed, Rambo continues to influence all kinds of political imagery to this day.
Dir. Ted Kotcheff, USA 1982, 93 mins. With Sylvester Stallone, Brian Dennehy, Richard Crenna.
Certificate 15
Dates & Tickets
This is a past event, therefore tickets are no longer available.
Reviews
Stallone brought intense physicality, obviously, but also hangdog vulnerability to a character who takes revenge on a cruel, unfeeling establishment and utters some of the most iconic lines in shoot ‘em up history.