First Blood Turns 30 Rambo’s original dark

First Blood Turns 30 Rambos original dark end

Sylverster Stallone as John Rambo in 'First Blood' (Photo: Everett Collection)

Thirty years ago Monday, "First Blood" hit movie screens, introducing audiences to John Rambo, the embattled Vietnam veteran played on screen by Sylvester Stallone. The movie was an enormous hit, earning $125 million worldwide on just a $14 million budget. The violent, R-rated action thriller spawned three sequels, video games, and, improbably, an animated series for kids. And it established Stallone as a major Hollywood star outside of his "Rocky" series. But none of that might have happened if they had stuck with the original ending for the movie where Rambo didn't survive.

In the theatrical version, Rambo is cornered in a police station. He has his gun aimed at Teasle (Brian Dennehy), the sheriff who pushed Rambo to lash out in violence. But then his old commanding officer Trautman (Richard Crenna) orders him to stop.  Rambo breaks down, telling Trautman how Vietnam scarred him and that he can't find a place in the civilian world. Then he gives himself up, and the film ends with him being taken away by the police.

That ending was changed after test audiences rejected the much darker original ending.  The first scripted and filmed ending saw the trapped Rambo pleading with Trautman to kill him.  Rambo says, "I can't spend the rest of my life in a cell. If I've got to die, I want you to do it."  Trautman flinches, but Rambo insists: "You trained me. You made me. You kill me. You owe me that." Rambo places a pistol in Trautman's hand. He tries to aim away, but Rambo pulls the gun towards him and it goes off.  It ends with Trautman walking away as Rambo dies alone. You can see the original ending in the deleted scenes in the "Rambo - The Complete Collection" DVD and Blu-ray set.

[New on Yahoo! Movies: Exclusive clips from 'Skyfall' and 'Flight']

The ending where Rambo survived was actually Stallone's idea. He had co-written the screenplay, and in the middle of shooting felt that audiences might feel too sympathetic to Rambo to want to see him die.  He insisted that they film both versions during production, and when the audience at a test screening objected to the death scene, the other ending was switched in.

The theatrical ending of 'First Blood' (Photo: Everett Collection)

Just getting "First Blood" to the screen was a challenge unto itself. It took more than a decade to adapt David Morrell's 1972 novel into a movie.  Many huge stars were considered for the lead role of John Rambo, including Al Pacino, Dustin Hoffman, Robert De Niro, and Clint Eastwood.  Kirk Douglas was originally cast as Trautman, and he told Movieline that is was his idea for the character to kill Rambo at the end. But he dropped out and was replaced by Crenna at the last moment.

"First Blood" gave Stallone his second blockbuster hit of 1982, coming only five months after the enormous success of "Rocky III." But it helped establish him as a true action star, not just a guy in boxing trunks.  Stallone followed "First Blood" with two even more successful sequels in the '80s, then returned to the character after a 20 year break with 2008's "Rambo."

Stallone had originally stated that he might be up for a fifth film, but in 2010 he told Empire Magazine, "I think Rambo's pretty well done. I don't think there'll be any more. I'm about 99 per cent sure." That doesn't mean he's packed up his guns, though. His last film, "The Expendables 2," made $290 million worldwide this past summer, and there's already talk about a third.

[Video: See trailers and clip from 'The Expendables 2']

And who knows? They couldn't kill Rambo thirty years ago, so you should never count him out.

Watch Sylvester Stallone in the trailer for 'Rambo':

First Blood- Turns 30: Rambo’s original dark end

‘First Blood Turns 30: Rambo’s original dark end

Sylverster Stallone as John Rambo in 'First Blood' (Photo: Everett Collection)

Thirty years ago Monday, "First Blood" hit movie screens, introducing audiences to John Rambo, the embattled Vietnam veteran played on screen by Sylvester Stallone. The movie was an enormous hit, earning $125 million worldwide on just a $14 million budget. The violent, R-rated action thriller spawned three sequels, video games, and, improbably, an animated series for kids. And it established Stallone as a major Hollywood star outside of his "Rocky" series. But none of that might have happened if they had stuck with the original ending for the movie where Rambo didn't survive.

In the theatrical version, Rambo is cornered in a police station. He has his gun aimed at Teasle (Brian Dennehy), the sheriff who pushed Rambo to lash out in violence. But then his old commanding officer Trautman (Richard Crenna) orders him to stop.  Rambo breaks down, telling Trautman how Vietnam scarred him and that he can't find a place in the civilian world. Then he gives himself up, and the film ends with him being taken away by the police.

That ending was changed after test audiences rejected the much darker original ending.  The first scripted and filmed ending saw the trapped Rambo pleading with Trautman to kill him.  Rambo says, "I can't spend the rest of my life in a cell. If I've got to die, I want you to do it."  Trautman flinches, but Rambo insists: "You trained me. You made me. You kill me. You owe me that." Rambo places a pistol in Trautman's hand. He tries to aim away, but Rambo pulls the gun towards him and it goes off.  It ends with Trautman walking away as Rambo dies alone. You can see the original ending in the deleted scenes in the "Rambo - The Complete Collection" DVD and Blu-ray set.

[New on Yahoo! Movies: Exclusive clips from 'Skyfall' and 'Flight']

The ending where Rambo survived was actually Stallone's idea. He had co-written the screenplay, and in the middle of shooting felt that audiences might feel too sympathetic to Rambo to want to see him die.  He insisted that they film both versions during production, and when the audience at a test screening objected to the death scene, the other ending was switched in.

The theatrical ending of 'First Blood' (Photo: Everett Collection)

Just getting "First Blood" to the screen was a challenge unto itself. It took more than a decade to adapt David Morrell's 1972 novel into a movie.  Many huge stars were considered for the lead role of John Rambo, including Al Pacino, Dustin Hoffman, Robert De Niro, and Clint Eastwood.  Kirk Douglas was originally cast as Trautman, and he told Movieline that is was his idea for the character to kill Rambo at the end. But he dropped out and was replaced by Crenna at the last moment.

"First Blood" gave Stallone his second blockbuster hit of 1982, coming only five months after the enormous success of "Rocky III." But it helped establish him as a true action star, not just a guy in boxing trunks.  Stallone followed "First Blood" with two even more successful sequels in the '80s, then returned to the character after a 20 year break with 2008's "Rambo."

Stallone had originally stated that he might be up for a fifth film, but in 2010 he told Empire Magazine, "I think Rambo's pretty well done. I don't think there'll be any more. I'm about 99 per cent sure." That doesn't mean he's packed up his guns, though. His last film, "The Expendables 2," made $290 million worldwide this past summer, and there's already talk about a third.

[Video: See trailers and clip from 'The Expendables 2']

And who knows? They couldn't kill Rambo thirty years ago, so you should never count him out.

Watch Sylvester Stallone in the trailer for 'Rambo':

Scariest movies you haven’t seen yet

 

 

'Pan's Labyrinth,' 'Possession,' 'The Descent.' Photos by Everett

Every year we seem to see the same list of "scariest movies" dusted off and put forth for Halloween-season viewing. Sure, "The Shining," "Poltergeist," "Psycho," "Saw" and other classic fright-filled films are both superb and superbly scary (and if you haven't seen them, make sure you do!). But we at the Yahoo! Movies team wanted to reveal some other truly great fear-inducing films that deserve more attention.

Brace yourself. Here's our list:

Photo by Everett Collection

The Descent (2006): The vast majority of horror films feature a group of friends fighting for survival as a serial killer/humanoid/possessed animal/other villainous being hunts them down. We get that in "The Descent," the Appalachian-set spelunking-gone-wrong Scottish import that debuted in 2005. But there are numerous factors that set this must-see movie apart from its peers: the unconventional (and wise) decision to utilize an all-female cast, its realistic/frightening look at morality, and writer/director Neil Marshall's ability to make viewers feel like they're suffocating along with the doomed sextet in that dark, disturbingly claustrophobic cave. And, if you're looking for a true scare this Halloween season, see the international version of the film, which was edited for its North American release because the ending was deemed too bleak for us wimps.

--Matt Whitfield (@lifeonthemist)

[Related: Yahoo! Movies Horror Hub]

Photo by Everett Collection

A Tale of Two Sisters (2003): Skip Hollywood's 2008 horror remake "The Uninvited" and go straight to the source. Writer/director Jee-woon Kim's 2003 psychological horror-mystery "A Tale of Two Sisters" (Janghwa, Hongryeon) is a creepy modern take on a popular centuries-old Korean folk tale. When the titular sisters arrive at the new house their widowed father shares with his new wife, strange supernatural occurrences and violent visions begin to haunt this broken family. Throw in a couple of creepy kids, a wicked stepmother, ghostly moments and some emotionally unnerving less-is-more atmosphere, and you've got a tasty recipe for one deliciously scary flick.

-- Phillip Yu (@heyphil)

Photo by Everett Collection

Possession (1981) — Bizarro Polish auteur Andrzej Zulawski made a movie about his divorce and wound up making a masterpiece of what-the-hell-was-that cinema. The movie stars Sam Neill, looking like a member of Kraftwerk, as Mark who returns home from an extended work trip  hoping to piece together his fractured marriage with Anna (Isabelle Adjani) only to learn that she is having an affair with not only an unctuous German named Heinreich but also with a giant, tentacled squid-like creature. And then the movie gets weird. Part body horror, part "Repulsion"-style descent into madness and part metaphysical rumination, "Possession" features plenty of blood, sex, and hands down the greatest hysterical freak-out scenes ever committed to film.  It also has all the apocalyptic emotions of a soul-searing breakup.

--Jonathan Crow (@jonccrow)

Photo by Everett Collection

Pan's Labyrinth (2006): In Guillermo Del Toro's shocking Spanish-language fairy tale set in Fascist Spain, a horrible pasty-faced figure with eyes in his palms haunts the fantasies of Ofelia (Ivana Baquero), a sensitive girl who comes to believe she is a legendary princess on a quest to restore an underground kingdom. During daylight hours, Ofelia witnesses her sadistic Fascist stepfather torturing guerillas. Which is more horrifying: the scary monster of her imagination, or the violent reality of her stepfather's zealous enjoyment of his employment? The R-rated "Alice in Wonderland" may be about a young girl, but it's definitely not for children.

--Thelma Adams (@thelmadams)

[Related: Highest Grossing Horror Franchises]

Photo by Everett Collection

Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983) — When Shakespeare wrote "by the pricking of my thumb, something wicked this way comes," he wasn't just feeding lines to Witch #2 in "Macbeth," he was also contributing the perfect name for Disney's early eighties freak show about two young, small town kids who visit the wrong carnival. You wouldn't think Disney would want to ruin carnivals for impressionable youngsters, what with the carnival-like setting of their theme parks and all, but that's exactly what this film did for me when I was young. Creepy clowns, spooky kids, carousels spinning the wrong way, Pam Grier's witchy ways, Jason Robards foreboding glumness, Johnathan Pryce's devilish Mr. Dark, and Ray Bradbury's tensely ratcheted screenplay (based on his own novel), all come together to produce a petrifying piece of cinema. Thirty years later, this film may be a lot scarier in my mind than it is on screen, but as far as entries into the genre go, this one's perfect for meddling kids who need to be scared straight.

--Adam Pockross (@adpoc)

Photo by Omega Project

Suicide Club (2001): Known in Japan as "Suicide Circle," this flick will make you sit up in your chair right at its opening scene — when dozens of jovial Japanese school girls line up at the edge of a subway train track in synchronized fashion, clasping hands, then counting to three before committing mass suicide by hurling themselves in front of an oncoming train. A stomach-churning sequence ensues as blood sprays everywhere and body parts get crunched. Similar youth suicides follow, perplexing local law enforcement. While the Japanese horror film has a cult following and has earned critical praise, it was also met with controversy. Worth noting: It came out one year after kids-killing-kids Japanese film "Battle Royale" — a Quentin Tarantino favorite that shares an eerily similar plotline to worldwide cinema megahit "The Hunger Games" (and both are based on books).

--Meriah Doty (@meriahonfiah)

Photo by Everett Collection

Pulse AKA Kairo (2001) — Kiyoshi Kurosawa might be the smartest director to come out of the late-90s Japanese horror boom and "Pulse" is his most terrifying work. A group of college students discover that their friends and classmates are all sealing up their room with red duct tape and then committing suicide. More unsettling, the corpses have a tendency to dissolve into sickly black stains. These strange occurrences have something to with a creepy website that prompts the viewer, "Would you like to meet ghosts?" Note: you don't want to meet ghosts. The scene where one of the tousled-haired leads comes face to face with a spirit conjures the exact queasy feeling of dread as your worst nightmare.

--Jonathan Crow (@jonccrow)

[Related: The 13 Most Iconic Villains in Horror History]

Photo By Magnolia Pictures

Let the Right One In (2008): A young girl, oddly barefoot in the snow, befriends a lonely, bullied boy outside their suburban Stockholm apartment building. In Tomas Alfredson's original, Eli seduces 12-year-old Oskar with friendship and female companionship. Meanwhile the audience is privy to her vicious feeding habits and peculiar relationship with her "father." The tragic horror romance -- not to be confused with the cutesy "The Little Vampire" -- raises eerie questions of love and bloodlust long after the end credits. For a subtitle-free alternative, choose the less potent but still powerful Chloe Grace Moretz-Kodi Smit-MgGee remake "Let Me In."