Paramount+ Just Added The ’80s Action Movie That Changed Everything (Ahead of its New Prequel)

When it comes to action films, there’s no better decade than the ‘80s. Widely considered the golden age of action flicks, the ‘80s gave movie fans iconic films in the genre that remain classics even now, including Die Hard, Lethal Weapon, and even some that blended genres like the sci-fi action hit The Terminator. The decade also saw the rise of the action hero star with actors like Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger becoming household names. Sylvester Stallone is also among those actors who really made their mark with action films in the ‘80s and now one of his best is now streaming on Paramount+.

Arriving on Paramount+ as of October 1st, First Blood was released in 1982 and saw Stallone shift gears from his Academy Award-nominated performance in Rocky to play John Rambo, a former Green Beret Vietnam veteran who comes to a small Washington town but clashes with a small town sheriff who organizes a manhunt for Rambo after he escapes their custody when he is unlawfully detained. The film, which also stars Brian Dennehy, was both a critical and commercial success that not only spawned the Rambo franchise that saw four sequels, but also an animated series, novels, video games, and even a comic book. A prequel film, John Rambo, is in the works starring Noah Centineo.

First Blood Is a Misunderstood Classic

While First Blood has earned its place as an iconic ‘80s action film, it’s also one of Stallone’s most misunderstood and, in some ways, underappreciated films. First Blood is full of action and violence, but it is also film with a distinct emotional core, one that offers a carefully crafted character study as well as the exploration of trauma experienced by veterans. In First Blood, Stallone’s character is dealing with PTSD, discovering that he is the last surviving member of his unit from when they were deployed. When he arrives in Washington, he’s struggling and wandering but instead of being met with compassion, he’s mistreated by local law enforcement which triggers flashbacks to the torture he suffered in Vietnam.

The film is less about the violence and is more commentary on the treatment of Vietnam veterans shortly after the conflict as well as the impact combat and combat experience can have on soldiers, especially when they are not given the support they need. Rambo, while often viewed by audiences as the “hero” in the film is really a victim, one that has been pushed beyond his breaking point. When viewed through that lens, First Blood is less an action film full of gratuitous violence, but more of an action film that addresses deep and complex issues around trauma and war — and the film also doesn’t glorify the violence that plays out on screen. It’s Rambo’s complexity that Stallone received critical praise for bringing to life, with some critics even considering the film to be one of the actor’s greatest roles.

First Blood is now streaming on Paramount+.

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