{"id":19877,"date":"2018-11-15T22:05:25","date_gmt":"2018-11-16T06:05:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/?p=19877"},"modified":"2018-11-15T22:05:59","modified_gmt":"2018-11-16T06:05:59","slug":"review-first-blood-4k","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/2018\/11\/review-first-blood-4k\/","title":{"rendered":"First Blood 4K Ultra HD Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>First Blood<\/em><\/strong> was a fantastic and well made action-thriller that gave audiences a bit of a different look at Sylvester Stallone outside of his Rocky character and outside of Crenna\u2019s scene-chewing moments, this is a great film and heartfelt performance by Stallone.<\/p>\n

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First Blood<\/span>
\n(1982)<\/span>
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Genre(s): <\/strong>Action, Thriller, Drama
\nLionsgate | R \u2013 93 min. \u2013 $22.99 | November 13, 2018<\/p>\n

Date Published:<\/strong> 11\/15\/2018 | Author:<\/strong> The Movieman<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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MOVIE INFO:
\n<\/u><\/strong>Directed by: <\/strong>Ted Kotchheff
\nWriter(s): <\/strong>David Morrell (novel); Michael Kozoll & William Sackheim and Sylvester Stallone (screenplay)
\nCast: <\/strong>Sylvester Stallone, Richard Crenna, Brian Dennehy, Bill McKinney, Jack Starrett, Michael Talbott, Chris Mulkey, David Caruso<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
DISC INFO:
\n<\/u><\/strong>Features: <\/strong>Audio Commentaries, Featurettes, Deleted Scene, Outtake
\nDigital Copy: <\/strong>Yes
\nFormats Included: <\/strong>4K, Blu-ray
\nNumber of Discs: <\/strong>2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Audio: <\/strong>English (DTS-HD MA 5.1), Spanish (DTS-HD MA 2.0)
\nVideo: <\/strong>2160p\/Widescreen 2.35
\nDynamic Range: <\/strong>HDR10
\nSubtitles: <\/strong>English SDH, Spanish
\nCodecs: <\/strong>HEVC \/ H.265
\nRegion(s): <\/strong>A, B, C<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Lionsgate provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Blog Post.<\/strong><\/span>
\nThe opinions I share are my own.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Note: <\/strong>The screen captures are from the Blu-ray disc.<\/span><\/p>\n

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THE MOVIE \u2014 4.5\/5<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
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Plot Synopsis: <\/strong>Vietnam veteran and drifter John J. Rambo (SYLVESTER STALLONE) wanders into a small Washington town in search of an old friend, but is met with intolerance and brutality by the local sheriff, Will Teasle (BRIAN DENNEHY). When Teasle and his deputies restrain and shave Rambo, he flashes back to his time as a prisoner of war and unleashes his fury on the officers. He narrowly escapes the manhunt, but it will take his former commander (RICHARD CRENNA) to save the hunters from the hunted.<\/p>\n

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Review: <\/strong>In my preparation for this, I did a search and came across an old review I wrote back in 2004 for the Rambo<\/em> trilogy DVD set. Based on the writing, I apparently was not overly impressed with First Blood<\/em><\/strong> finding it didn\u2019t live up to the praise. Well, guess it only took 14 years to perhaps fully appreciate the film.<\/p>\n

This was only my second viewing never revisiting it since 2004 and frankly, scarily maybe, didn\u2019t really remember a whole lot about the film, even while watching, so more or less went in with fresh eyes. And while it\u2019s not perfect with some of the acting, most notably Richard Crenna who chewed the scenery with his inflection and cheesy speeches, I otherwise found First Blood<\/em><\/strong> to be a rather powerful film that tackled PTSD and yes, it does have the over-the-top explosions and action scenes, it does culminate with a heartbreaking and also authentic sounding breakdown with Stallone, made all the more powerful as Rambo doesn\u2019t have a whole lot of dialogue before.<\/p>\n

As I mentioned, Richard Crenna seemed to be the outlier, perhaps due to spewing some wonky dialogue, but the others performed well. Stallone might spend most of the running around the forest but really sold the role of a lost soldier and Brian Dennehy as the tough-nosed, stubborn and ignorant sheriff worked nicely opposite of him; not an entirely well rounded character but still an effective antagonist and representative of the feelings back in the day towards the Vietnam veterans.<\/p>\n

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First Blood<\/em><\/strong> was helmed by Ted Kotchheff who really did an amazing job with some of the action scenes with impressive stunt work, most noticeable during the cliffhanging scene as Rambo attempts to dodge incoming fire from a helicopter hovering close by. Not sure if this kind of sequence would be done today without the aid of visual effects, but doing it practically, with the chopper in frame while Stallone hangs on, makes it more believable.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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SPECIAL FEATURES \u2013 3.5\/5<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
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This release comes with a super glossy slip cover<\/strong> and on the back, a slit reviewing the features on the interior back cover, exactly like the ones for The Expendables<\/em> releases. Inside is a redemption code for the Digital HD <\/strong>copy.<\/p>\n

Audio Commentaries:<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n