Sylvester Stallone was one of the major action heroes of the 80s and 90s alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger. The actor had to fight his way to get noticed in the industry as he was an outsider trying to make a name as an actor. Stallone created two of the most iconic franchises in Hollywood: Rocky and Rambo.
By the 80s, Stallone was already a two-time Oscar-nominated actor for his brilliant work in Rocky. He was eyeing another potential hit with 1982’s First Blood. However, the Rocky star was very unhappy with the original cut of the film so much so that he wanted to burn the negatives. However, his significant input changed everything for the better.
Sylvester Stallone Was Responsible for Making The ‘Unwatchable’ First Blood Into A Hit
Sylvester Stallone was a big movie star by the early 80s with his three Rocky films becoming big commercial hits. He also directed the second and third films in the franchise proving that there is much more to him than being a bonafide actor. The actor was committed to starring in an adaptation of David Morrell’s First Blood at the time.
However, it seems that the first cut of the film was not what he expected and turned out to be an absolute nightmare. In an interview with Howard Stern, Stallone recalled his experience after seeing the original cut of the film, wanting to immediately buy it and burn the negatives. The actor was so unhappy with the horrible pace and the underwhelming dialogue in it.
With the success of the Rocky films, Stallone already had a level of star power and managed to change the excruciating three-hour original cut into a tight 90-minute action film. The Cliffhanger star removed all the dialogues of his main character Rambo and kept it to a bare minimum. He let the mysterious nature of the character and his actions do all the taking. He told Stern (via YouTube),
It was based on a book. What I did when we did it, it was so bad – at least I thought, and even my manager thought – we both went out, we both wretched in the alley together. We tried to buy it back and burn it. First Blood, I tried to buy it back and burn the negative.
Originally, it was three hours long… I said, here’s a good idea, cut out all my dialogue, every line, and have other people talk about you, which by the way is not a bad way to live in general. I went from 3 hours to 90 minutes.
First Blood became a huge critical and commercial success, grossing $125 million against a $15 million budget (via Box Office Mojo). The success of the film spawned another iconic franchise for the actor. Stallone continued playing John Rambo in the sequels, Rambo: First Blood Part II, Rambo III, Rambo, and Rambo: Last Blood.
First Blood‘s Producers Initially Did Not Want The Iconic Monologue To Be A Part of The Film
First Blood‘s John Rambo is a man of few words with his violent actions doing all the talking. The Vietnam vet played by Sylvester Stallone is a misunderstood and tragic character who has seen big losses in the war. While he wreaks havoc on the people hunting him, he lets out his grief at the end of the film in a very emotional monologue.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Stallone revealed the producers did not want the hero to be vulnerable and wanted a heroic death at the end. However, the actor did not want to give the impression that PTSD-suffering soldiers should live their lives contemplating suicide. Through the monologue, he channeled his experience of talking to real-life veterans and instilling some hope despite their tough lives. Stallone said,
That scene was a tough one to get past the producers. They didn’t want it. I was supposed to be shot and die. And I go, “There are a lot of veterans who are going to look at this and go, ‘So my only hope is to kill myself?’” I can’t do that…I want people to take away some sense of hope when they leave the theater. I don’t want my heroes to die.
The Expendables star also stated that a modern-day Rambo project where a new actor will portray the character is in the works. It will be interesting to see how Rambo would evolve and be portrayed in the modern world.
Fans can watch/rent Stallone’s First Blood on Apple TV+.
