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‘First Blood’ With Bill Simmons and Brian Koppelman

January 19, 2021 · First Blood (1982) · Action · Adventure · Thriller · 1:22:49

IMDb ↗Letterboxd ↗

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Most Rewatchable Scene

Bill Simmons▶ 30:12Multiple scenes: Rambo's jail escape (starting with the shaving scene), Rambo on the cliff jump, nighttime hunting sequence, Troutman's first scene ('God didn't build Rambo. I made him'), the rats scene, and the final escape sequence
Brian Koppelman▶ 32:24Agrees with and elaborates on the jail escape sequence, emphasizing Stallone's physical acting and the motorcycle scene as exemplary action filmmaking

What's Aged the Best

Bill Simmons▶ 45:18The credits showing producers Mario Kassar and Andrew J. Vagina - suspects they might not have been real people but fictional powerful foreign producer names
Brian Koppelman▶ 47:36Agrees with another host's point about the producer names, and adds that small realistic details like jail painting and the radio operator reading a magazine give the movie credibility

What's Aged the Worst

Bill Simmons▶ 51:57The Dan Hill theme song 'It's a Long Road' that plays at the end of the movie
Brian Koppelman▶ 52:28Defends Dan Hill and the song, disagreeing with another host's criticism

Casting What-Ifs

Bill Simmons▶ 56:12Gene Hackman — Gene Hackman would have made the movie better and elevated it to another level as Will Teasel
Brian Koppelman▶ 56:16Brian Dennehy — Prefers Brian Dennehy over Gene Hackman because Hackman doing this role would have prevented him from doing Unforgiven, and Dennehy's physical presence was important

Joey Pants Award

Bill Simmons▶ 58:25Chris Mulkey — Discusses Chris Mulkey and one of the Miami Vice cops (Zito or Swiatek) who gets hit by Stallone's wooden trap, ultimately giving it to the Miami Vice cop

Half-Assed Internet Research

Bill Simmons▶ 1:01:22Presents extensive research including: Blade magazine crediting Rambo franchise with revitalizing cutlery industry, Stallone breaking actor's nose during jail escape scene, stuntman breaking back in motorcycle scene, Stallone's $3.5M salary negotiation, Brian Dennehy Vietnam controversy, and deleted Penthouse Pet flashback scene

Apex Mountain

Bill Simmons▶ 1:04:17Richard Crenna — Not Stallone (peaks with Rambo 2 & Rocky IV in 1985), yes for Brian Dennehy and definitely Richard Crenna, Vietnam action movies, hunting knives, early 80s movie graphics
Brian Koppelman▶ 1:04:39Richard Crenna — Richard Crenna and Brian Dennehy both good cases, David Murrell (author), agrees on hunting knives as great call

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Bill Simmons▶ 1:13:13Does Will Teasel work again after this incident? Would Rambo have blown up anyway (yes, someone would have pushed him)? Do mountains really have caves as elaborate as the one in the movie? Rambo vs Rocky preference question?
Brian Koppelman▶ 1:13:21Does Will Teasel realize it was 100% his fault? Would Rambo have eventually blown up regardless? How did Troutman get there so quickly? Why did Rambo spend the first night cooking instead of leaving through the cave? Where can you get Troutman's hat?

Who Won the Movie

Bill Simmons▶ 1:18:58Sylvester Stallone — Sly Stallone by a landslide
Brian Koppelman▶ 1:19:04Sylvester Stallone — Agrees with Stallone, noting it made him a billion dollars long run

Movies Referenced (40)

Rocky (1976)

21 mentions · Brian Koppelman, Bill Simmons▶ 3:39IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Apocalypse Now (1979)

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Brian Koppelman▶ 9:25IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Coming Home (1978)

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Brian Koppelman▶ 9:14IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Staying Alive (1983)

4 mentions · Brian Koppelman, Bill Simmons▶ 17:55IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Full Metal Jacket (1987)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 15:09IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Gandhi (1982)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Brian Koppelman▶ 22:58IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Platoon (1986)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 15:05IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Unforgiven (1992)

3 mentions · Brian Koppelman, Bill Simmons▶ 56:22IMDb ↗Lb ↗

All the President's Men (1976)

2 mentions · Brian Koppelman▶ 28:07IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Dirty Harry (1971)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons, Brian Koppelman▶ 5:25IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Fargo (1996)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 29:36IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Marathon Man (1976)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 1:01:18IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Directors Referenced (3)

Clint Eastwood

5 mentions · Bill Simmons, Brian Koppelman · Known for Million Dollar Baby, Gran Torino, Unforgiven▶ 5:21IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Stanley Kubrick

2 mentions · Brian Koppelman, Bill Simmons · Known for 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, Barry Lyndon▶ 11:33IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ben Affleck

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Argo, Gone Girl, The Town▶ 1:20:32IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Actors Referenced (49)

Sylvester Stallone

39 mentions · Bill Simmons, Brian Koppelman · Known for Rocky, Rocky IV, Creed▶ 1:43IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Brian Dennehy

19 mentions · Brian Koppelman, Bill Simmons · Known for First Blood▶ 27:13IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Richard Crenna

18 mentions · Brian Koppelman, Bill Simmons · Known for Rambo III, First Blood▶ 39:50IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ben Kingsley

6 mentions · Brian Koppelman, Bill Simmons · Known for Sexy Beast, Gandhi, Schindler's List▶ 22:58IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Dan Hill

6 mentions · Bill Simmons, Brian Koppelman · Known for First Blood, Tropic Thunder▶ 52:06IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Kirk Douglas

6 mentions · Bill Simmons, Brian Koppelman▶ 56:46IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Charlize Theron

4 mentions · Brian Koppelman · Known for Mad Max: Fury Road▶ 1:21:26IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Dolph Lundgren

4 mentions · Brian Koppelman · Known for Rocky IV, Masters of the Universe▶ 33:42IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Roy Scheider

4 mentions · Brian Koppelman, Bill Simmons · Known for Jaws, The French Connection, All That Jazz▶ 3:09IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Russell Crowe

4 mentions · Brian Koppelman · Known for Gladiator, A Beautiful Mind▶ 1:18:33IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Tom Cruise

4 mentions · Brian Koppelman, Bill Simmons · Known for Top Gun, Minority Report▶ 1:19:14IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Bill Murray

3 mentions · Brian Koppelman · Known for Lost in Translation, Rushmore, Moonrise Kingdom▶ 31:48IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Writers Referenced (3)

Roger Ebert

2 mentions · Bill Simmons, Brian Koppelman▶ 27:10IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Andrew Lloyd Webber

1 mentions · Brian Koppelman · Known for The Phantom of the Opera▶ 20:16IMDb ↗Lb ↗

David Morrell

1 mentions · Brian Koppelman · Known for First Blood, Rambo: First Blood Part II▶ 7:34IMDb ↗Lb ↗