Directed by Ted Kotcheff (Wake In Fright) and starring Sylvester Stallone in one of his most iconic roles, this gritty action thriller is a masterclass in simmering tension and a landmark in action genre filmmaking. First Blood tells the story of John Rambo, a troubled Vietnam veteran who finds himself on the run from the law after a small-town sheriff pushes him too far. Beneath the surface, First Blood is a searing indictment of the treatment of veterans in America, a powerful exploration of the human cost of war, and a timeless meditation on the nature of violence.