Movies - TV
A Lack Of Planning On Rambo: First Blood Put A Stuntman In Serious Danger
By J. GABRIEL WARE
The action sequences in “Rambo: First Blood” were no easy feat to perform. Sylvester Stallone recalled breaking his rib in the famous cliff jumping scene, and how some scenes were spontaneously rewritten at the last minute, creating a dangerous environment for Stallone and the stuntmen.
In the "First Blood" commentary, Stallone described the scene where Rambo breaks out of jail and escapes on a motorcycle as “horrifically unchoreographed.” In fact, the part where the patrol car slid down and flipped over was unscripted (and dangerous) but was kept in the movie because it looked good.
During the infamous cliff scene, a stuntman landed on the unsupervised side of the river and almost slid off a rocky slope. While he was unharmed, the scene gave him real cuts. Sadly, another stuntman working on the film’s sequel, “Rambo: First Blood II” actually died on set while performing a stunt at the edge of a waterfall.