In the 1982 film First Blood, Sylvester Stallone plays John Rambo. The character’s full name is John James Rambo, though most of the film refers to him simply as Rambo.
Rambo is a former Green Beret and Vietnam War veteran who returns to a small Washington town after the war. When the local sheriff targets him and forces him out of town, Rambo’s survival skills and traumatic wartime experiences trigger a violent confrontation. The film is less a straightforward military adventure than a story about alienation, veteran trauma, and the consequences of treating a vulnerable person as a threat.
First Blood was adapted from David Morrell’s 1972 novel and introduced one of action cinema’s most recognizable characters. Stallone returned as Rambo in four sequels, while the character’s military background became more prominent in later films. “Rocky” is a common wrong answer because Stallone also famously played Rocky Balboa, but Rocky is a boxer rather than the Vietnam veteran featured in First Blood.