Where Was First Blood Filmed? Sylvester Stallone’s 1982 Classic Action Film!

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When it comes to action films and stars, one of the first names that pop into our heads is Sylvester Stallone and his action-filled movie First Blood (1982). Moreover, if you want to learn about the movie’s filming locations, then you’ve certainly come to the right place. The action drama film follows a war veteran who visits a small town in search of an old friend, but he faces backlash from the town sheriff and his deputies. In this article, I’ll discuss the movie and tell you where was First Blood filmed.

Sylvester Stallone is not only a veteran in the movie but also one in real life. The actor has been in the Hollywood industry for almost forty years now. He is among the most celebrated American actors of all time and one of the highest-paid. Stallone rose to fame after his role as Rocky Balboa in the 1976 sports drama film Rocky directed by John G. Avildsen. Some of the other central characters in First Blood are played by Richard Crenna, Brian Dennehy, Bill McKinney, and Jack Starrett. 

You must be wondering where this amazing action drama movie was filmed, well, the majority of First Blood was shot in the town of Hope in British Columbia, Canada, and a few of the other scenes were filmed at Port Coquitlam and Fraser Valley. 

Ted Kotcheff’s First Blood had its premiere on 22nd October 1982. Michael Kozoll, William Sackheim, and Sylvester Stallone worked on the film’s screenplay. However, let’s learn more about the action drama film and its interesting filming locations.

Where Was First Blood Filmed? Let’s Take A Look!

Where Was First Blood Filmed? Sylvester Stallone’s 1982 Classic Action Film!

Sylvester Stallone’s action drama film First Blood was a massive success at the box office, and it also did well commercially. Interestingly, the film still continues to be one of the best action movies of all time. Back in the day, the film earned over $125 million against a limited production budget of $15 million. 

The critics were quite impressed with the movie and also gave positive reviews. Only a few people know this, but First Blood was the first Hollywood blockbuster released in China. The Chinese audience loved the movie, and it sold over 76 million tickets.

BBC’s Almar Haflidason and Filmsite praised Kotcheff’s direction, screenplay, and Stallone’s groundbreaking and flawless performance. They also called it one of the best movies of 1982. On IMDb, the movie got a rating of 7.7, and on Rotten Tomatoes, it received a high score of 86%. However, as you have an idea about the movie, now let’s find out more about where was First Blood filmed.

Hope, British Columbia, Canada

Where Was First Blood Filmed? Sylvester Stallone’s 1982 Classic Action Film!

Principal photography of First Blood began on 15th November 1981 and was wrapped up by April 1982. The fictional town of Hope in Washington that you see in the movie is a real town, but it is situated in British Columbia, Canada. All the town scenes in the film were shot in British Columbia’s Hope. It is situated on the eastern side of the Fraser Valley, which serves as the entrance to British Columbia’s interior.

The town is located at the confluence of the Coquihalla and Fraser Rivers. The park referred to in the movie as Chapman Gorge is the Coquihalla Canyon Provincial Park, which is very close to Hope. The park is also known as Othello Tunnels. 

At the beginning of the film, the bridge that Rambo walks on is the Coquihalla River Bridge, which was knocked down later and reconstructed.

Other Locations In British Columbia, Canada

The first scene of First Blood was shot near the Burke Mountains in Port Coquitlam. Apart from the first scene, a few other sequences were also shot there. For example, the popular bike chase scene in the movie where Rambo is being followed by a squad car. Also, other scenes, such as the waterfall and junkyard scenes, were shot in the Burke Mountains. 

A few of the other important scenes were shot at the Fraser Valley, Golden Ears Provincial Park, Capilano Canyon, and Pitt Lake. Other movies and TV series like The Good Doctor, The X-Files, Juno, and Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer were also filmed in these locations.

Plot Of First Blood (1982) | Rambo’s Wrath!

Where Was First Blood Filmed? Sylvester Stallone’s 1982 Classic Action Film!

The story of First Blood revolves around John J. Rambo, played by Sylvester Stallone. Rambo is a war veteran who fought for the United States in the Vietnam War. He was in the special forces and also won the Congressional Medal of Honor. As it happens to most soldiers who fought in the war, Rambo also suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder.

While Rambo deals with the horrors of war, he visits a small town in Washington to look for one of his old friends. In the town, he comes across an intolerant and arrogant sheriff, Will Teasle, played by Brian Dennehy, who shows brutality to him. This leads Rambo to unleash his violent side and show his combat and survival skills, hence raging a one-man war at his pursuers. 

Final Words

Now you know all about the film First Blood and its filming locations. So, if you haven’t watched the action drama film yet, I would suggest you hurry up and watch it soon. It is nothing but a treat to watch Sylvester Stallone as a badass whopping bunch of mean and intolerant cops. To know about more such interesting filming locations, you can also check out other articles on the Oldflamescandles website.

Who Is The Director Of First Blood?

The director of First Blood is Ted Kotcheff.

Who Wrote The Screenplay Of First Blood?

Michael Kozoll, William Sackheim, and Sylvester Stallone wrote the screenplay of First Blood.

Who Produced The Action Drama Film, First Blood?

Buzz Feitshans, Mario Kassar, Herb Nanas, and Andrew G. Vajna produced the action drama film, First Blood.

Is First Blood Available In Any Other Language?

No, First Blood is only available in English.

Is First Blood Based On A Novel?

Yes, First Blood is based on the 1972 action-thriller novel of the same name by David Morrell.

Who All Acted In The Movie, First Blood?

Sylvester Stallone, Richard Crenna, Brian Dennehy, Bill McKinney, Jack Starrett, Michael Talbott, Chris Mulkey,John McLiam, Alf Humphreys, David Caruso, David L. Crowley, Don MacKay, Charles A. Tamburro, David Petersen, Craig Huston, and Patrick Stack acted in the movie, First Blood.

What Is The Runtime Of First Blood?

The runtime of First Blood is 1 hour 33 minutes.

What Is The Tagline Of First Blood?

The tagline of First Blood is One War Against One Man.

Ujwal Mattoo
Ujwal Mattoo
With full journalism and half engineering background, Ujwal has hands in both the tech and creative fields. He is a film enthusiast who loves all kinds of genres. As much as he enjoys watching movies, he is always amused to know more and write about the locations to feed his hunger for traveling. In this world of fictional louds, he voices his opinions softly! He is either busy writing or playing with Milo, his dog!

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