Ask Stallone, though, and he still prefers the first. Indeed, Stallone recently spoke with GQ<\/a>, who asked him to break down his most famous roles, and the Hollywood mogul said “First Blood” remains his best action movie \u2014 although his definition of the phrase “action movie” has more to do with acting technique than with fights and explosions.<\/p>\n Read more: Actors Who Damaged Their Bodies Forever For A Movie Role<\/a><\/p>\n Sylvester Stallone thinks First Blood is his best ‘action movie’ Sheriff Will Teasle threatening Rambo in a jailhouse in First Blood – Orion Pictures<\/p>\n Thinking back to “First Blood,” John Rambo is a taciturn character. He cannot verbally communicate too well. The implication is that Rambo has been so traumatized by the Vietnam War that he’s partially lost his ability to speak. Stallone gives a rather subdued performance, telling the audience just who Rambo is with a look, with a gesture, with the movement of his body. It’s a very, physical, action-forward performance. In the GQ interview, Stallone argues that, because Rambo is a person who speaks through his actions \u2014 both subtle and violent \u2014 “First Blood” could be considered one of the best “action” movies there is. He said:<\/p>\n “Inadvertently, I’d consider [‘First Blood’] the best action film I’ve ever done. And I think it might be one of the first, when you say ‘pure’ action films. You’ve had car chases. You’ve had gunfights. But I mean, it’s all action. You’re speaking with your body, your looks, your intentions, and the other characters are doing the dialogue. You are in action the whole time.”<\/p>\n Stallone explained that the original draft of the “First Blood” screenplay depicted John Rambo as a homicidal maniac with PTSD, who gleefully killed children in the war. The plot would have been that Rambo escaped military execution, and his old general (the Richard Crenna character in the final film) had to track him down and kill him. Stallone didn’t like that story, and elected to re-write the script (he has a co-writing credit). Stallone’s idea was to infuse the screenplay with a little hope, explaining that Rambo tries to avoid fighting at all costs. It was only the town’s egocentric sheriff (Brian Dennehy) that pushed Rambo and prodded him until his old, violent “war mode” was reactivated.<\/p>\n Stallone feels that John Rambo was on the spectrum Rambo breaking down in tears in Fist Blood – Orion Pictures<\/p>\n At the end of “First Blood,” Rambo is confronted by the Crenna character and he breaks down. Rambo wails and cries, horrified that he slipped back into soldier mode so easily, and that he committed acts of violence against the sheriffs of this small town. He screams in agony about his horrible experiences in the war and how it broke him. He saw his friends blown up, and he thinks about it every day.<\/p>\n Stallone felt that Rambo’s inability to cope, and his trouble speaking his emotions aloud, came from the character being on the autism spectrum. He delivered his final speech with that in mind. Rambo was already broken by the war, but he was also never given the help he needed to properly process his feelings. Stallone said:<\/p>\n “Once I got to do the re-write, and he has that speech at the very end, I did a lot of research. And it’s almost a fellow who has been autistic. It’s pouring out. It’s disjointed. It’s a manifestation of his complete breakdown, his loss.”<\/p>\n Most of the nuances of “First Blood” vanished in the explosive haze of “Rambo: First Blood Part II,” however. By the frustratingly titled “Rambo III,” the character had completely changed. The movies continued to make money, and Stallone, as mentioned, revisited the character repeatedly over the decades. But “First Blood” remains intense, sad, and emotional in a way that most action films aren’t. It’s not defined by its mayhem or by Rambo’s ability to kill. “First Blood” is a very political film, and it’s odd that the politics took a complete 180 for “Part II.” That canceled Rambo sci-fi sequel<\/a>\u00a0would have been just as appropriate.<\/p>\n If you’re looking for the easiest way to keep up with all the major movie and TV news, why not sign up to our free newsletter<\/a>? You can also add us as a preferred search source<\/a> on Google.<\/p>\n![\"Sheriff](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/35c0dd1698ddca4fa571baec61e72808.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n![\"Rambo](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/817a269a0e74d1f192388bbafc9e5e4d.jpeg\"\/)
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