Movies - TV
Filming Rambo: First Blood In Canada Led To A Constant String Of Delays
By JOE ROBERTS
“Rambo: First Blood” is one of the finest action films ever made and secured lead actor Sylvester Stallone’s status as one the biggest action stars of the ‘80s. The 1982 movie featured grueling events, with plenty of death-defying stunts, but bringing the story to the screen proved to be just as grueling due to constant injuries, disagreements, and delays on set.
Production took place east of Vancouver, Canada, and the location itself provided one of the biggest hurdles for director Ted Kotcheff to overcome. The crew had expected the British Columbia setting to be suitably overcast; instead, they were greeted by blaring sun, only to be later confronted by heavy, hazardous snowfall, which shut down production for two months.
Apart from inclement weather, Stallone broke multiple ribs and sustained a serious back injury during filming, and Kirk Douglas, who was to play Rambo’s commanding officer, left the production at the last minute due to “artistic differences,” per AFI. Other problems included $50,000 worth of guns stolen from the set — no wonder “First Blood” took five months to film.