First Blood
Did anyone pick up those similarities to First Blood, a classic Stallone movie? The tree jumping etc. Funny, Death Hunt is made in 1981 and First Blood in 1982...
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MovieChat Forums > Death Hunt (1981) Discussion > First Blood
i was thinking that too...the whole fact that a police force is chasing a guy through the woods, and he is able to ward them off while surviving off the land.
Because the two movies were released so close to each other, its hard to tell which was written first. Maybe this script was just made into a movie quicker
hmm also the movies were filmed pretty close to each other also...
Death hunt was filmed on the Alberta B.C border and FIRST BLOOD was filmed in B.C
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"I see no similarities between the two movies."
Seriously dude, you must be blind. They are practically identical, just set in a different time and place. Both lead characters are war veterans that end up killing a whole bunch of people because they have a run in with the authorities over something that isn't there fault, Lee Marvin's character in Death Hunt is functionally identical to Richard Crenna's in First Blood, and even certain scenes are the same (the aforementioned tree jumping etc.)
People can argue over the respective source materials that these films are based on but to deny their obvious similarities just seems ignorant. It's been a long time since I have seen either film, but I remember seeing Death Hunt the first time and being utterly convinced that one must have ripped off the other.
First Blood is not "classic"; it's barely watchable.
But in the context of Stallone's filmography, I suppose that it could be considered "classic."
joekiddlouischama-
FIrst blood is a classic, what are you anti-american?????
joekiddlouischama-
FIrst blood is a classic, what are you anti-american?????
No, I'm not anti-American. I just think that First Blood is crude and mediocre, lacking the intelligence and sensitivty needed to make it something more than a cheap action flick. share
First Blood is a classic movie. It has everything a good action/adventure movie needs:
- a little guy sticking it to the man
- a stoic guy being tougher than anyone would have thought possible
- enginuity prevailing over conventional force
- beautiful scenery
- great characters with interesting interactions
- good, solid plotline
Also, even if you don't like it, it is still considered a classic movie in the sense that today's action/adventure movies all pay homage to First Blood. Without First Blood, all action/adventure movies would still be Jeremiah Johnson clones (which wouldn't be bad, as it is itself a great, classic movie).
was a pile of gut slop.
Nothing exists more beautifully than nothing.
Death Hunt is awesome, and First Blood too. Classic? Depends who you ask. Some would say a classic is The Third Man, others First Blood, others Seven Samurai, other.... Who cares, both are great movies.
shareFirst Blood was made in 1982, but was based on the book by David Morell, copyright 1972...
That being said, nothing says that Death Hunt didn't influnce First Blood, but I'll reserve judgement myself until after I've seen the former.
Bob.
Watch CHATO'S LAND! Similar manhunt movie with Charles Bronson, too. Just without a plane and more Arizona based.
Death Hunt was based on a true story that happened WAY back in the day. First Blood was a ultra-violent wet dream that sparked the avalanche of crap-action (henceforth known as crapaction!) movies which permeated most of the 80's.
shareLonely Are the Brave (1962) comes to my mind as an early man-hunt movie. There's already the obligatory helicopter. Unfortunately it's black-and -white.
Hey "Crapaction". I like that. They didn't stop in the 80's though. They're still comin out today. BTW Bronson is one of my favorites. I think his all time best is "Once Upon A Time In The West" I think they carried the Death Wish movies too far though. What's his best movies in your opinion?
shareDefinately this movie could have been called "Chato's Land- North!". First Blood is merely a pretender to the throne.
shareYeah! I always thought the same thing!
Prostitute: What the *beep* are you doing?
Johnny: I'm gonna kill a bunch of people.
Yeah I thought of First Blood too but only once, both movies are pretty good, one is set in freezing snow lands while other is set in wild deep woods, both films exploit their environments quite well.
Although First Blood, I'll definitely rate higher..
1. Stallone is a more popular action star, Bronson.. I have seen a couple of his films, he's always been good too. Also I think Stallone has more dialogues in FB, comparatively Bronson has only few lines here. Overall dialogues & quotes are also better in FB.
2. FB was more realistic, DH set in the freezing barren lands of Yukon, it's very unlikely a man on the run could survive for long with very little food or rest, Bronson character seemed almost superhuman.
3. The villain in DH was a complete ~beep~, why would anybody bother stirring up so much trouble for somebody like him. Especially after everybody sees Johnson paying full price for an almost dead dog of his (he was going to kill anyway). The villain in FB was more believable.
4. Angie Dickinson although a hot eye candy, her character seemed almost pointless. Showing up suddenly out of nowhere, she declares to a room full of men how she never loved her husband.. (lady he just died and why come all the way that far where even radios don't work, for a broken watch and a trapper's license, if she didn't care about him). Yeah Hollywood we get it, the average American liberated women are very loose, don't give em' enough attention and they will open their legs for another man.
Having just watched a short documentary on the 1931 manhunt the movie was based on, I was pretty amazed to find out just how "superhuman" the real guy was. These are the sorts of details a lot of screenwriters and producers would instinctively tone down or avoid altogether, on the assumption audiences would find them too far-fetched and 'movie-like', despite the fact they were true.
The real Mad Trapper did survive the prolonged shootout at his cabin. The finale of the shootout, when Bronson's character survived the posse blowing his cabin up with dynamite and jumped out of the wreckage, guns blazing, to escape, killing another posse member in the process, actually happened that way, too.
While eluding the posse, the real guy did manage to survive the extreme cold for a prolonged period of time, which even the Canadian aboriginal trackers were astonished by, but he was also extremely emaciated by the time the posse finally caught up with him months later. He was also around 35 years of age, not Bronson's age when he filmed the role.
They never have been able to figure out the true identity of the Mad Trapper, but, judging from the expensive, advanced dental work he'd had done, it's likely he came from an urban environment and considerable wealth. He was unusually skillful at surviving on the run in that wilderness for as long as he did, including successfully hiking over a mountain the aboriginal trackers believed he'd never maneuver without killing himself.
Much like the film adaptation of First Blood, though, where Morrell's psychotic, bloodthirsty Rambo was toned down and made more sympathetic and palatable for mainstream movie audiences, the real Mad Trapper was also reimagined for Death Hunt. The actual guy was an antisocial paranoid who overreacted with violence at the arrival of the RCMP (who were investigating a minor offense) and was reported to have laughed after he later gunned one of them down.
Instead of rescuing a dog from bad guys, as in the movie, the 1931 case was set off by the Mad Trapper vandalizing aboriginal trap lines. That's why the RCMP showed up at his cabin to speak with him. He refused to come out. When the Mounties returned later with more men, the Trapper had prepped his cabin for war. That's when the shooting started. Also, unlike the movie version, in real life both Bronson's and Marvin's characters died at the end of the manhunt.
Interesting as I found the details of the real case to be, I still consider Death Hunt one of my favorite Bronson movies, along with Chato's Land.
Please Clean Up After Your Pet Peeves
Obvious similarities imho, First Blood was probably 'inspired' but this one. Although here the sheriff is rather a 'good guy'. But the military background, the tree jumping scene (performed more realistic here), blowing up the fugitives' hideout, the plane/copter scene - all veeery similar. Whatever, 2x 8 of 10 imho.
A man builds. A parasite asks "Where is my share?" - Andrew Ryan
Well it's already been covered that "Death Hunt" came out before "First Blood;" the books about the same time in '72!
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