First Blood

In December 1981, John Rambo learns that his old unit's surviving members have died due to Agent Orange exposure. The news makes him realize he is the last surviving member of his outfit. Lacking direction, he sets off on foot toward the town of Hope, Washington.

Rambo arrives in the town of Hope on foot, seeking somewhere to go. Sheriff Will Teasle accosts him and judges him harshly as a drifter. Teasle escorts Rambo out of town and warns him not to return.

Feeling cornered, Rambo is arrested and processed under the watch of Teasle's chief deputy Art Galt. The deputies abuse him during the processing, triggering painful flashbacks to his Vietnam torture. The mistreatment solidifies Rambo's resolve to resist.

The abuse triggers vivid flashbacks to his Vietnam experiences, fueling a violent breakout. Rambo fights his way out of town using his field knife and retreats into the surrounding mountains. He begins a solitary flight into the wilderness to escape his pursuers.

Teasle organizes a large search party with fellow deputies, air support, and dogs to track Rambo. During the effort, Galt attempts to shoot Rambo from a low-flying helicopter and dies when a rock causes the pilot to lose control.

Teasle learns that Rambo is a Medal of Honor recipient but refuses to cancel the search. Trautman, Rambo's former commander, pleads over the radio to surrender, but Rambo insists that the town and its deputies drew first blood and continues to evade capture.

Rambo employs his guerrilla skills to lay traps and subdue the pursuing officers. He corners Teasle at knifepoint and demands that the pursuit be abandoned, then melts further into the woods to avoid capture.

Washington State Patrol and National Guard units join the search, alongside Trautman who seeks to de-escalate the crisis. Trautman again urges Teasle to relent, but the local leadership remains determined to pursue Rambo.

Rambo falls back to an abandoned mine and uses stealth to hold off the forces inside. The National Guard fires an M72 LAW to collapse the mine, but Rambo escapes through a ventilation shaft and continues his trek toward the town.

Escaping the mine, Rambo hijacks a military transport truck and drives back toward Hope with a plan to confront Teasle. He orchestrates a gas-station explosion, cuts power to much of the town, and destroys a gun store to maximize disruption.

Rambo shoots Teasle in the leg with an M60 taken from the military truck, gravely injuring him. Trautman arrives and pleads with Rambo, who finally relents and surrenders to federal custody.

Trautman comforts Rambo as they are escorted into federal custody, signaling an end to the immediate confrontation. Teasle is taken to an ambulance, emphasizing the cost of the town's pursuit and the fragile line between soldier and hunted.