Here’s why author David Morrell, who created the character of Rambo with his novel First Blood, hated 2019’s Rambo: Last Blood. Morrell’s First Blood was published in 1972 and followed a Vietnam vet suffering from severe PTSD who wages a bloody war on a small town after being abused by its bullying sheriff. The John Rambo seen in the book had no trouble killing those he perceived as a threat, and in the end, he’s shot dead by his former mentor.
First Blood is a bleak, dark novel and the movie adaptation spent a decade in development hell, with actors like Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman circling the role. Sylvester Stallone, who during this period hadn’t really scored a major hit outside of the Rocky movie series, was cast. It was decided to soften the edges of the story, with Rambo only killing one person out of self-defense and surviving the movie. Later sequels upped the body count and carnage, though the movies made it clear Rambo hates his own talent for violence and would rather be left alone.
This self-hatred was explored in greater detail in 2008’s fourth movie Rambo, where the titular character is furious and sickened when he’s forced to shoot pirates in self-defense. For a time, various concepts were tossed around for Rambo 5, including the character fighting a monster, until Rambo: Last Blood finally arrived in 2019. This saw the ex-soldier head to Mexico to rescue a kidnapped girl from sex traffickers and plays out like a gory b-movie. Reviews were very mixed, with perhaps the most surprising critic being Rambo creator David Morrell.
After seeing Rambo: Last Blood (which has a better extended cut) – Morrell tweeted out he agreed with the bad reviews and that “The film is a mess. Embarrassed to have my name associated with it.” For the author, it felt like a cheap grindhouse movie from the ’70s, of which he specifically cited 1976’s Trackdown, which he claimed had the same basic plot. He expanded on his dislike of Rambo: Last Blood in a chat with Money Into Light, claiming the character could have been called “John Smith” instead, as he bore little relation to previous Rambo movies. Morrell also stated, “The character has been changed so that instead of hating what he learned about violence, Rambo gleefully wallows in it.”
David Morrell laments that he and Sylvester Stallone had started work on a “soulful” final entry for Rambo, which was inspired by the success of Creed. Stallone later told the author the producers weren’t interested in that approach, and when Rambo: Last Blood went into development, the actor cut off communications. Rambo’s creator ultimately disliked that Last Blood – whose story was better in early leaks – lacked a soul, and used the character to make a violent action movie with little to say about war or violence, unlike previous entries. He even disliked that the sequel just assumed audiences know the character’s history, as Rambo: Last Blood offers little backstory for him or explanations for why he built a maze of tunnels around his farm.
