First Blood (1982) User Reviews

Criminally underrated.

[Goldwaterproductions · 9/10 · 28 June 2012]

A lot of people know the Rambo series as a ridiculous 80's action series. But what a lot of people tend to forget is that the first movie in this series was not a ridiculous action movie. It's a serious, dark, thriller that has a very somber tone and a sympathetic lead character. Almost everything that Rambo is known for nowadays is completely absent in this movie. From the multitude of explosions to the high body count to the unrealistic action to the ridiculous story line is completely absent. There are only 2 or 3 explosions (not to mention they are realistically done) and only one person dies throughout the whole picture. and the action, while there isn't a lot, it's realistic. Even the story line you believe can actually happen. It's for these reasons that make this my favorite Rambo movie. And not to mention the fantastic and heart breaking performance given by Stallone. Why the Academy didn't nominate him for Best Actor at the Oscars is beyond me. If you didn't like the other Rambo movies because of their ridiculousness and haven't seen this film, I highly recommend seeing it. It's one of my favorite post-war movies if not one of my favorite movies of all time.

Final rating: 9/10

"You picked the wrong man to push."

[utgard14 · 9/10 · 17 July 2015]

Engrossing action thriller about John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone), a Vietnam vet and Medal of Honor recipient, who is now a drifter haunted by his experiences in the war. While traveling through a small town in Washington, Rambo is arrested by Sheriff Will Teasle (Brian Dennehy) for being a vagrant. When a sadistic deputy abuses Rambo, he lashes out violently and escapes custody, fleeing into the mountains. As a manhunt is underway to capture Rambo, his mentor and former commanding officer Colonel Sam Trautman (Richard Crenna) shows up to try and prevent a bloodbath.

Probably the best Stallone movie behind the first Rocky. Great action, yes, but also a terrific script and some really good performances that elevate this above so many other action movies. I've read David Morrell's original novel and I have to say this is a case where the movie adaptation is just superior in every way. In the book, the Teasle character is more of the good guy and Rambo is a psycho killer that has to be put down like a dog. So kudos to Michael Kozoll, William Sackheim, and Sylvester Stallone for making the changes they did to the plot and for all the quotable lines their script gives us. As for the acting, there isn't a bad note anywhere in this. Even the supporting players are excellent. Stallone and Dennehy knock it out of the park. Richard Crenna has arguably his most famous role here as Colonel Trautman. He gets many of the best lines.

Great score from Jerry Goldsmith with a memorable theme song. Ted Kotcheff's direction is solid. The action is fantastic but, as I said, it's so much more than just a popcorn movie. It has something to say about the Vietnam war and how the soldiers were treated when they returned home. This won't sit well with all types but I appreciate what they were going for here and thought they did very well with it. Had there never been another Rambo movie, this one would still be a classic. But there were more sequels to come, all action movies of varying degrees of quality but none quite as good as this one.

Better than you may think

[amesmonde · 18 March 2006]

John Rambo (BAFTA winner Sylvester Stallone) is a fairly reserved and sensitive guy, a man who has seen and lived the horrors of the Vietnam War. He returns to the good old United States of America to find his only friend has died. You can sympathise with him and when small- town sheriff (Brian Dennehy) takes a needless dislike to him and his heavy handed deputies mistreat Rambo you can see why Rambo is sent over the edge.

In retrospect, unfortunately the sequels turned John J Rambo into 'Rambo' the icon who relies more on an M-16 to get him out of trouble. In First Blood Rambo utilises the teachings from Col. Trautman (Richard Crenna) his war training and combat skills to stay alive and outwit his pursuers.

With less guns and explosions director Ted Kotcheff competently builds the tension and suspense and you get the feeling Rambo may not make it till the end. The locations are wonderfully atmospheric - foggy, earthly capturing the true outdoors. Stallone, Crenna and Dennehy are on form and the movie has a strong supporting cast that includes David Caruso in an early role as Deputy Mitch. Underpinning all this is Jerry Goldsmith's memorable score.

Rambo First Blood is a grounded drama and action must see.

Cleverly plotted, solid action film

[averjee · 10/10 · 15 February 1999]

Smart, well-plotted, action-filled, ultimately moving war film about a mentally unstable Vietnam vet who returns stateside to find another war raging - one against veterans.

Stallone gives a very good, understated performance - his action sequences are so realistic that it's hard to believe that no one got hurt during the filming. Dennehy is also superb as the chief pursuing officer, whose ragtag bunch of cops includes a small role for David Caruso.

I really did like this movie. I liked the overarching social message, and the unexpected twists and turns that follow a pretty routine event - a sheriff rousting a drifter, getting much more than he bargained for.

"Don't push it or I'll give you a war you won't believe. Let it go. "

[Nazi_Fighter_David · 7/10 · 8 July 2007]

Sylvester Stallone achieved amazing heights during the 80's, along with Arnold Schwarzenegger, especially as a movie character synonymous with the muscled guy who is a pure fighting machine…

In Ted Kotcheff's "First Blood," John Rambo (Stallone) is a highly decorated Vietnam veteran who was trained specifically as a killing machine… He has come to a quite little town in Oregon, only to visit one of his platoon buddies… He was told that his friend has died, last summer, of cancer…

Disheartened, Rambo continues to walk the streets of Hope when he is annoyed by the local Sheriff (Brian Dennehy), and booked for vagrancy and resisting arrest…

Beaten, kicked all over, treated like trash, and pushed too far by the other cops in the Sheriff's office, Rambo is taking back to traumatic flashbacks, to the enduring torture in POW camp… Rambo, by that point, fights his way out and wages a one-man war against the police force that escalates out of control... Rambo is seen as a one man army overpowering all the sheriff's deputies and escaping into the surrounding woods…

"First Blood" communicates the rage, the depression, the frustration and the psychological wounds of one Vietnam soldier that fought for his country and was then hassled by it upon his return…

But what makes Rambo such a dangerous hero is Brian Dennehy being incredibly efficient as the cruel officer who doesn't like the looks of Stallone... Sure he's the abusive sheriff who is the victim of his environment, but he's also arrogant and incessantly underestimating a man who was 'the best, with guns, with knives, with his bare hands…'

Dennehy got a presence of his own pushing an 'expert in guerrilla warfare' at the breaking point

Tells the real story of war

[al-87841 · 9/10 · 14 October 2016]

George P. Cosmatos's 1982 action film, Rambo First Blood, is seen by most as a classic bare bones shoot em up action movie, but in reality tells a commentary on the dehumanizing effect warfare can have on the men and women forced to kill or be killed. John Rambo is a testament to the true effect of war, sure he is able to single-handedly take on the US army, essentially a one man army, but at what cost. He was a war hero, he gained glory and prestige from battle, but in the process he lost his humanity and his sanity. Upon returning to the country he fought to defend, he discovers that he can no longer fit in with with the people he swore to protect. He is haunted by PTSD from his experiences in the war and the scars it left on him and is a danger to himself and others because of it.

Pure Warrior

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 18 October 2009]

In First Blood Sylvester Stallone introduced his second enduring screen character John Rambo, Vietnam veteran of the Special Forces. Those hick law enforcement characters from the Pacific Northwest really didn't know who they were messing with. Even though Richard Crenna did try to steer them straight.

It all begins innocently enough. Sheriff Brian Dennehy the local law where Sly was traveling through gives him a ride out of town and tells him to keep going. Dennehy just doesn't like Sly's looks, not that he's done anything. All Stallone was there to do was visit a Vietnam War buddy whom he finds out has died from cancer most likely gotten from Agent Orange. Not that it was any of Dennehy's business because Stallone wasn't breaking any laws.

But when Dennehy sees him start back to town he then arrests him on the usual charge of vagrancy when they can't think of anything else. But the treatment and disrespect he's shown by the town police brings back memories and he snaps. He injures about six cops breaking jail and Dennehy's hot to get this guy no matter what it costs.

The best I can say for the rest of the film is that Sly makes them pay plenty.

Richard Crenna was Rambo's colonel in Vietnam tries in vain to tell the local and later the state law just what they're up against. Rambo's been trained in survival and killing techniques with or without weapons. He's a pure warrior and even normal fear has been driven right out of him.

For some of us who've had bad experience with the law First Blood was a film we could identify with. Just citizens who get arbitrarily pushed around for one reason or another. I remember wheeling a heavy shopping cart with groceries and laundry on the sidewalk of one of the main thorough fares of my city and a police car just drove right up and blocked my path. When I protested the man in blue threatened to run me in for obstruction of justice. I know exactly how Stallone felt when being pushed around. I suspect many in the theater audiences knew as well.

Stallone makes a lot of mayhem in the Pacific Northwest, the location cinematography for First Blood is just great, it can't be anything else in that part of the country. And Sly Stallone introduced an enduring cinema hero in John Rambo.

They drew first blood not me. They drew first blood.

[baumer · 10/10 · 14 June 1999]

First Blood is simply one of the best films ever made. I think it transcends the action film genre and has stood the test of time. Stallone was immensely popular back in the 80's and if it is true that he hated the first cut of the film, then one can only say that he is lucky that he didn't get his wish to scrap the entire thing.

John Rambo is first introduced to us as he is walking into a small town to look for a friend of his that he served in Vietnam with. Upon discovering that he contracted cancer coming back from the war, Rambo wanders aimlessly into town. He is greeted by a small town overzealous sheriff named Will Teasle, played wonderfully by Brian Denehy. He at first tells Rambo that he will help him out and give him a ride. When Rambo asks if he can find a good place to eat, Teasle directs him to a diner about 10 miles up the highway. Rambo asks if there is a law against him eating in the town, Teasle, says yea, me. This sets up the premise as Rambo begins walking back into town. Arrested for vagrancy, Rambo is taken to the local jail and we meet some of the local redneck officers, notably, a young David Caruso, who seems to be the only one who empathizes with Rambo. Finally, he escapes the jail and takes the entire small town sheriff department and the military on a hunt into the local "jungle."

First Blood has strength of character. It has frenetic action scenes and every actor in the film is at the top of their game. Samuel Trautman, Rambo's mentor and former Colonel in the war, is played by Richard Crenna as a no nonsense but empathetic man. He knows Rambo has pushed back a little too hard but he understands where his plight comes from. He wants to avoid more bloodshed but at the same time he doesn't completely agree with how Rambo has been treated. He is obviously a law abiding citizen, but he knows that not all the laws were upheld when dealing with Rambo.

Sylvester Stallone is RAMBO. There is no one else that could play him. Just like Harrison Ford embodies Indiana Jones and Bruce Willis is John McClane, Stallone is about as good as he has ever been here. He is quiet, he is strong and his physicality creates a character that many of us can empathize with and eventually root for. David Morell wrote a different character in his book but Stallone paints him more as a sympathetic character. He is correct in doing so. While Morell's vision is still present, this is more of Stallone's creation. Rambo is about as unique a character present in film history.

First Blood is a film released in 1982, but in my opinion it set a new standard for action film stars. I think James Bond was pretty much your standard action film star before that. He was smooth and debonair and nothing went wrong for him. Rambo, at least in First Blood, is realistic. He bleeds, he cries, and he wears his emotion on his sleeve. This is someone that many of us could and can relate to. The sequels made him larger than life and that is fine, but this small film done by the Carolco guys is about as perfect a film as you can get.

10/10

Underappreciated Classic- First Blood > Rocky

[aidanratesmovies · 9/10 · 21 December 2021]

It's a story so simple that it works, bound on a flawed character that is honestly excellently portrayed through Stallone. First Blood may not be the best action film out there, but it does manage to be an interesting delve into the mind of PTSD veterans from the war. I truly enjoyed this film simply because the character of John Rambo is so well written. A Green Beret Vietnam War vet struggles to find his place in society with no home, no friends, and constant animosity from others around him. It's an incredibly psychological film no doubt, but it also manages to be quite an entertaining and fascinating action film, as we see the character of Rambo progress steadily downwards throughout the film. Many may just take it as a cool film where Stallone is a beast and shoots up a whole town single handedly, and yeah that can be a fun idea at times, but I love the deeper meaning behind this film and how self aware about mental health it was even nearly 40 years ago- as well as focusing on the many injustices in the police system and how many of their actions were and still are incredibly disgusting. There are a few moments where the film jumps around in confusion, but in the end, First Blood is a highly entertaining and fascinating film that easily produces one of the most iconic characters in cinema to an breathtaking degree of accuracy and poignancy.

My Rating: 9.2/10.

Violent movie that launched the Stallone career and his Rambo episodes

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 4 October 2005]

Sylvester Stallone as Rambo is a previous Green Beret who is forced to save himself from a redneck sheriff ( Brian Dennehy) and deputies ( Bill Mckinney , Jack Starrett, David Caruso ). Rambo is falsely accused as vagrant and wrongfully jailed and he pull off the break-out . The authorities set off in pursuit and he lead them into all type of dangerous , booby traps in the woods and mountains of the Oregon State . Rambo appears threatening , lurking and harassing to his enemies pursuers escaping of innumerable risks and dangers . Former colonel (Richard Crenna) will attempt to stop and detain him .

From the beginning to the end the comic-book action-packed and extreme violence is continued and it is fast movement for that reason the picture is quite entertaining. The outdoors are spectaculars , the landscapes have been filmed in natural parks . Stallone is enormous as the tough and rebel ex soldier and Richard Crenna is top notch as the anterior trainer officer. Appears unbilled Bruce Greenwood (JFK in Thirteen days ),almost extra ,and screen debut from David Caruso and Chris Mulkey . Awesome and exceptional cinematography by Andrew Laszlo filmed on location in Golden Ears Provincial Park,Hope, North Vancouver, Pitt Lake, Pitt Meadows, Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada. Splendid and magnificent musical score by the great maestro Jerry Goldsmith. The motion picture is followed by Rambo series : ¨First blood II¨ in which Rambo returns at Vietnam to rescue American prisoners of war and ¨Rambo III¨ against the Russians who control a particular sector of Afghanistan . The trilogy was a completed by the recent ¨Rambo¨ , a definitive improvement, with Julie Benz and directed by the same Stallone in which Rambo fights enemies in Thailand . The quartet was a complete success though the best considered is the original . The film will appeal to action enthusiast and Stallone fans ; it's a movie for adrenaline lovers . Rating : Good , entertaining but violent . This exciting and moving motion picture is professionally directed by Ted Kotcheff. Although the movie has some aspects a little tough to take , this intelligent film still has its agreeable moments. This large-scale and lavishly produced picture attempts a special atmosphere with spectacular results. Two thumbs up

John Rambo is a victim

[world-cinema · 5/10 · 27 November 2006]

I have seen the movie and your comments and I was wondering who is the good character and who is the bad one because this kind of movie must have one. Alfred Hitchcock believed that the good characters are not white and the bad ones are not black, everybody's Grey. But I think this is not the case. The most positive character in this movie is Sheriff Teasle and the bad one is the human society and army. John Rambo is the victim in this case, the innocent victim who became a menace to the same society who destroyed his spirit and now didn't want him back. This is why I think this is good movie who has something to say, who has a decent point of view in a domain which many productions debated. John Rambo can't be brought back to ordinary life so the sheriff does what he was told to do: eliminate any possible threats to his community. The hero's ending speech is useless because none of the people outside actually listens to what he has to say. He is doomed to remain an outcast.

A taut exercise in suspense that bears little relation to its silly sequels...

[Howlin Wolf · 9/10 · 10 October 2001]

Surprise, a "Rambo" movie that tries to say something profound about the plight of its main character and his mental state. For the most part it succeeds. Not for this movie the ridiculously oiled pectorals of part II, where Rambo is transformed into a grunting, soul-less killing machine. He actually begins the movie as a fairly nice chap, someone we can sympathise with, and it's his unnecessarily rough treatment at the hands of small-town sheriff Dennehey and his crew that is likely to shift audience sympathies firmly in the direction of the 'misunderstood' Vietnam vet.

Here, Rambo is also a character who is reluctant to kill unless he absolutely has to. A far cry from the eventual homicidal maniac he was to become, who is seemingly responsible for more death than World Wars 1 & 2 combined. So, to those expecting bucketloads of gore and senseless killing, you'd probably be better off watching the news. "First Blood" is actually more akin to those 'survival in the wilderness' programs you might see on the Discovery Channel; with Rambo having to rely more on guile and cunning than brawn and an M-16 to get him out of tricky situations.

That's not to imply that this is boring. Far from it. Director Kotcheff shows a keen awareness of pace, it's never by any means certain that Rambo will survive (if you discount the other films, of course!) and the supporting characters are all wonderfully unsympathetic. Even Trautmann, Rambo's supposed mentor, has a touch of the villain about him for being complicit in the ultimate dehumanisation of Rambo during the war. By far the best character here is played by Dennehey; always watchable, but Stallone too is good; nicely restrained, more "Cop Land" than "Cobra"

Not an action film as such, it sits better as suspense. In that sense, it does exactly what it says on the tin; rendering John Rambo a far more interesting character here than his incarnation in the other two films. That is basically just wet-dream material for inadequate, spotty faced adolescent boys everywhere. This Rambo is recognisably human. Having said that, neither should you view expecting a solemn Vietnam protest movie in the vein of "Platoon" or "The Deer Hunter". It's different in tone and style to the both of those movies, but in my view at least, is better than either of them.

In war, a hero, in peace, forsaken.

[KL-6 · 29 September 1999]

This is a truly unique movie that quickly became obscured due to the later sequels. It tells the story of a man who survived one hell, only to return home despised and forsaken because of it. There was a time when America didn't quite know what to think of the lost war, and so it was forgotten - and the men who came out of it as well. Rambo finds he cannot survive this war, because it is still going on within him.

Finally, pushed too far by a small town sheriff, Rambo returns to the only thing he can relate to. War. Yet it is a war he almost mercifully wages on the macho egotistical deputies and week end warriors that pursue. To potentially misquote Rambo :

"I coulda killed them all, I could have killed you. In town you're the law, out here it's me. Let it go..."

First Blood (1982)

[SnakesOnAnAfricanPlain · 10/10 · 29 December 2011]

I, like many, have probably grown up with Rambo being a part of popular culture. From all those references to such an iconic character I was expecting some war film centered around an unstoppable killing machine. I was completely wrong, and thankfully so. Rambo is the story of a dark and troubled man. Rambo isn't a hero, but he should have been. He's a man that came home with no one to welcome him. He drifts from town to town, antagonised wherever he goes. One day a police force pushes him too far. Rambo's mental instabilities take hold and he pledges a war against these men in authority. There are no clearcut villains, and certainly no heroes here. We empathise with Rambo, and understand the police action taken against him. As well as being a commentary on the treatment of Vietnam Vets, it also shows how war isn't an excuse for such violent actions. Dennehy's wonderful character is shown (very subtly) as a soldier that managed to find his path. At the same time Dennehy doesn't know when to quit, his pride getting in the way. This is an action film with real substance, real issues, and real discussions to be had. It also never fails to deliver on the action, and Stallone's final emotional breakdown will relate to anyone that's been pushed too far. A film focused mostly on understanding, not excusing. I regret waiting this long to watch it.

A good film, probably spoilt by what followed.

[garethcrook · 7/10 · 9 April 2023]

I was too young for Rambo when it was released and despite its pop culture status, all the sequels simply past me by. My only references then are Gizmo in Gremlins donning a red headband and a pretty awful commodore 64 computer game. John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) is back from Vietnam, looking for a place to stay. His address book doesn't have many options and folks aren't too friendly to returning Vets. Especially a local sheriff Teasle (Brian Dennehy), who drives John out of town to keep things "boring". This isn't going to be boring though is it. John is a likeable guy, with some serious PTSD. He's stumbled across some small town American conservative authority and inside 10 minutes, I'm already looking forward to him teaching them some manners. The yokels trigger some bad POW memories and Rambo's violent past quickly meets his present. Taking out a police station and making an escape on a motorbike into the pacific northwests grey rocky wilderness. Essentially what ensues is a game of cat and mouse as the idiot cops do what they do in America and Rambo outsmarts them A-Team style. Not much is asked of Stallone, other than the physicality of the role, but despite this he's very good. Out in the woods, Rambo's at home. The cops however are bumbling around comically as Rambo picks them off. It's all simple stuff, but the tension is palpable. Largely down to the setting. The rugged terrain looks great on camera and gives this the heft it needs to fend off the cheesy televisual nature of the authorities, plotting and postering. Dennehy is good too, he plays the vile stubborn sheriff well. His character keeps things personal and keeps the narrative focussed. Neither will give up, Rambo has no guns, but Teasle brings in the National Guard and what happens when you throw more guns into the mix America? Yep, more blood. Subtle this is not, with a fairly hefty pyrotechnic budget its route one 80s blockbuster, but there's just enough substance and with a thrifty runtime it ticks along nicely, before we get to the expected all action finale. Rambo is a good film, but it's hard not to watch it and see it as fuel for arguing Americas stupidity in both gun culture and appetite for war.

Rambo movie that started all in the action genre my personal favorite Stallone's best movie

[ivo-cobra8 · 10/10 · 2 January 2018]

First Blood (1982) is a classic action movie that started all action genre one man army types action movies. It is my personal favorite movie of all time. I am a huge Rambo fan and I love John Rambo character. I love First Blood, Rambo: First Blood Part II and Rambo to death. I love them so much it is my favorite film series. I love First Blood to death this is my personal favorite action film. It is in my top 5 Stallone's favorite action films part 4 and 5 is Cliffhanger and Demolition Man. It is my personal favorite action film in the Rambo series. I love Rambo: First Blood Part II to death it is my number 1 favorite action film in the action genre. First Blood is my personal favorite action film of all time it is right up there with Part II. It is my number 3 favorite action in the Rambo series but I still love First Blood to death.

This is my comic book hero this is my childhood movie the movie I grew up with it. This is the best movie ever my all time favorite action movie. It is the best of the best of all time. Sylvester Stallone co-write the script and started and the men can act, he is an action hero on screen in my opinion his best film. Yours is Rocky mine is Rambo action hero. I love Rambo's Survival Knife he rally's on his knife.

"I could have killed 'em all, I could've killed you. In town you're the law, out here it's me. Don't push it! Don't push it or I'll give you a war you won't believe. Let it go. Let it go! "

First Blood is a realistic film portrayed about John Rambo a troubled and misunderstood Vietnam veteran who saw hell in the Vietnam War and he is hunted by the past. Sylvester Stallone plays the character of John Rambo very convincingly and Director Ted Kotcheff brings out the story to an effective scale allowing us to see the action through the character's eyes.. "First Blood" doesn't deal with CGI nor does it deal with special effects. It deals or tries to deal really hard on what is real. He feels that society is against him and he is angry.

The movie has ton's of action, the motorcycle chases. Rambo climbs the wall of mountain and is been pursued by a helicopter and the police officer becomes the killer and try's to shoot Rambo with a riffle. Rambo jumps and hangs him self on the tree. That jump was for real and Sylvester Stallone really performed it. Rambo uses his martial arts to defend him self against abusive corrupt cops to escape. I love how the film shows Rambo trying to survive out in the woods while the guards are hunting him when in turn he is hunting them creating these traps putting these officers in painful situations.

The best thing about "First Blood" is that we know that John Rambo was in the Vietnam War and was trained to kill, yet, he doesn't kill a single human in the film on purpose. John Rambo uses M60 machine gun and shoot up various stores in town including police station destroys the gun store and gas station. Brian Dennehy and Richard Crenna both acted opposite Sylvester Stallone and they both acted well. Brian Dennehy as Sheriff Will Teasle was excellent bad guy he performs his character well. Richard Crenna is Colonel Sam Trautman who trained and command Rambo in Vietnam for 3 years he is excellent as father figure to Rambo.

"First Blood" is the best of the Rambo series mine personal favorite action film . The movie has beautiful music score from Jerry Goldsmith 10/10 Grade: Bad-Ass Seal Of Approval My personal favorite action movie of all time.

Nobody knew his name was Rambo all they knew was that he looked like trouble.

[bluesman-20 · 10/10 · 23 April 2008]

First Blood is that rare film that is not black and white instead it deals with areas of Gray. Stallone's Acting is Very Good maybe the Finest he's ever done outside of F.I.S.T. And Yet while his Rambo is a compelling portrait of a man slowly going insane trying to find something resembling peace. Rambo never finds it. All he finds is hatred and fear aimed at him and that makes them hostile towards him. The Main Villain in this if you can call him one is Police Chief Wil Teasle wonderfully played by Brian Dennehy. The interaction between the two is tense and that's before the shooting starts. But this is Stallone's movie and his Tour de force as he creates a complex character that many have a hard time separating from the Real Stallone. Richard Crenna Steals the Show as Colonel Sam Trautman United States Special Forces coming all the way from fort Bragge to come get his boy. Crenna underplays his role cool as anyone has a right to be. Together this cast sets off a match headed towards Kegs of Gunpowder and dynamite First Blood does not disappoint and it will stay with you long after you've seen it.

A Mesmerising Action Masterpiece

[CalRhys · 31 July 2014]

The ultimate action film and the ultimate psychological thriller! 'First Blood' was among others like 'Die Hard' as being one of the first action films I saw when I was younger, I even owned it on VHS. This film has Sly showing off his acting ability (which is saying something for an actor with such little capability of "acting") as the iconic John Rambo in the film that sparked off the eponymous film franchise, whilst the sequels were heavily classified as flops, 'First Blood' is a daring and thrilling survival adventure that follows a Vietnam Vet and the post-war trauma he suffers from. A dark yet sensitive film that follows one of the great action stars as he fights to survive, a mesmerising action masterpiece.

First Blood: Classic.

[furiousneon · 10/10 · 20 July 2003]

This movie was a classic. A great action movie and a movie that really showed you what vietnam soldiers went through when they came back from the war. Stallone plays John Rambo perfectly and he is physically excellent for the role as well. He proves at the end alone that he can act and show emotion with the best of them. The first time i saw this i was very emotional at the end because Stallone really gives you a taste of what the soldiers had to go through when they got home. The action is classic, The acting is classic...RAMBO is Classic. 10/10.

A hell of a film.* * * * *

[davidslicer · 10/10 · 24 November 2004]

The character of John Rambo became more popular in films such as "Rambo:First Blood,Part II" and "Rambo III".The character were treated like a comic book hero spawning action figures and a short lived animated series which lasted only a short while.There are not that many people who has heard of the Rambo character.He's well known through out,but today's generation would have been lucky to catch him on VHS or DVD.Back in 1982 when the character of John Rambo was introduced to movie screens,filmgoers were dealing with a character that was not displayed as an action icon,but a man who had a lot of demons within him.The best thing about "First Blood" is that John Rambo is not portrayed as an action hero.He is portrayed more as a man.A man who is haunted by memories of the Vietnam War.Sylvester Stallone plays the character of John Rambo very convincingly and Director Ted Kotcheff brings out the story to an effective scale allowing us to see the action through the character's eyes.Violence in films are the main aspects in film today.Or at least one of.It's fun to watch a violent film,but the violence in this film was not filmed to thrill the audience,but to make us understand what John Rambo is going through.I have these memories of first watching this film twenty years ago when I was twelve."First Blood" doesn't deal with CGI nor does it deal with special effects.It deals or tries to deal really hard on what is real.I like "First Blood" because I understand the character.He feels that society is against him and he is angry.A lot of films there is only one villain where as in this one society is the villain.That is according to Rambo.Actually,there is one villain named Sheriff Teasle played by Brian Dennehy.He and Rambo seemed to clash against each other and Ted Kotcheff let's us experience these two men go at it.I liked how the film shows Rambo trying to survive out in the woods while the guards are in hunting him when in turn he is hunting them creating these traps putting these officers in painful situations.The best thing about "First Blood" is that we know that John Rambo was in the Vietnam War and was trained to kill,yet,he doesn't kill a single human in the film on purpose.The killing of Galt was accidental and was deserving according to my eyes.This film is the best in the Rambo series because I understand the character and I understand why he is acting violent."First Blood" doesn't bring us John Rambo,the action hero but John Rambo,a regular man with a lot of demons he must face."First Blood" is the best of the Rambo series.

After almost a quarter of a century it's still a great movie!

[heracles74 · 10/10 · 7 September 2006]

I totally agree with the comments of a previous reviewer who said that Sylvester Stallone is greatly underestimated as an actor. I wouldn't go as far as calling him the best actor that Hollywood has ever had, but he IS so much better than a lot of people say that he is. In my opinion Stallone shouldn't make comedies, but when it comes to action movies (Rambo, Rocky, Cobra, etc.) he's definitely one of the best! Rambo was a sensational movie in the 80's, but every time that I see it nowadays I'm amazed by the fact that it is actually a very good, original story. Brian Dennehy really shows his acting skills as well, leaving the audience confused whether to have sympathy for the character that he plays or to hate the character. First Blood is a movie filled with action. Like all the action movies from the 1980's "First Blood" also tends to become slightly over the top in the end. Still I gave it a 10/10 for the simple fact that I wanted to compensate for the people who "underrate" this movie. Normally I would give this movie an "8". If it had not been for the action scenes that are over the top this movie could even have scored a bit higher!

Sad story of an action hero that became a concept

[Shaolin_Apu · 7/10 · 8 July 2006]

Not many action films actually make you cry but this may be one that does it. Stallone plays one of his greatest roles ever as John Rambo, a Vietnam vet who is mistreated by a police force. The viewer asks immediately why is the police so arrogant? It seems that the police knows what kind of man Rambo is even if it later becomes clear that he didn't know.

Since John Rambo cannot live a normal life he starts to fight like he was again in that war. What follows is guns' blaze and screams of dying people - the prize what the people have to pay for destroying Rambo's life that was once like anyone else's life. The army special force soldier is a killing machine and property of the army, he's not a human anymore or so they say to him. Rambo is therefore not actually responsible for the killing and the damage he did, quite paradoxically.

Rambo is pure fiction - it's not a story from this universe because it makes too grand generalizations, but it however offers us a viewpoint into differences between soldier's and civilian's values.

Rambo is an icon.

[F0RCE · 8/10 · 21 March 2001]

The adaptation of this novel to the big screen is a great accomplishment. The film is not only the beginning of one of the greatest action trilogies of all-time, but it charts the developments of its characters, something rarely done by an action movie. "First Blood" is a moving story about the realities of post-Vietnam America and is very underrated as a film.

We're not hunting him, he's hunting us First Blood

[jaredmobarak · 8/10 · 30 January 2008]

If I'm going to see the fourth installment of a film franchise, I should at least check out the one that started it all. That fact brings me to finally seeing the 80's classic First Blood. It wears its decade on its sleeve with the acting, broad humor at times, and cheesy credit song "It's a Long Road." Despite all that, though, the movie lives up to the hype and fires on all cylinders. I had no clue that the story pitted one Green Beret against a hick town of bigot cops. When I thought Rambo and I had visions of one-man wars versus countries or platoons of soldiers, not civilians out with a vendetta. Rambo just wanted a friend in the world that saw him fight for his country with honor and return home to heckling and protest. All he did overseas was spit on by his return and he became a stereotype drifter, an untouchable to society. The truth of that comes out when a Sheriff in Oregon sees him crossing the street and escorts him out of town, refusing to allow him to even have one meal. He kept pushing and pushing, enough so that Rambo just couldn't take anymore.

As far as the premise goes, this one is quite effective. Based off a novel, I can see where the story would be strong despite the subsequent sequels for which I hear are horrible. To have a man beaten, on the brink of giving up on life, find his way back to the horrors he has been trying his hardest to forget is a clichéd setup for sure, but it is all we need to set this thing in motion. With some nice quick cuts, we are shown the torture he endured in Vietnam juxtaposed with the handling by the local authorities on a trumped up vagrancy charge for looking unclean. They drew first blood and it is up to him to get himself out, with or without taking other people with him. Rambo understands that these people are civilians and decides to only incapacitate them rather than kill all in his wake. These are not the Viet Cong, they are like him, however, they know nothing about what he has gone through in order to allow them to sit back at home feeling free. If nothing else, this film is here to show people that no matter what your views on a war may be, no matter how much one thinks it is not our fight, if our troops are there, they deserve our full support. They are doing a job and a service that we are not willing to do ourselves as we sit and watch TV feeds, shaking our heads that it is all for nothing. If we give even one inch, they will take a mile, you can't lay down, ever. They fight for us and deserve to be treated as heroes.

With all that said, can one really condone what John Rambo does in this film? No. Not even his old superior Colonel Trautman, brilliantly portrayed by Richard Creena, can accept what he is doing. He doesn't come in to set his boy free; he arrives to get him into custody so the fight will stop. The private war that has commenced needs to come with consequences. The punishment just needs to fit the crime. Rambo does nothing wrong except to hope for some shred of decency from humanity. That idealism is what causes all the trouble. Sheriff Teasle happens to be the straw that breaks the camel's back and all hell breaks loose. It is a matter of survival at first, but with the unrelenting pace, it soon turns into a search for justice by a warped mind doing the only job he knows how. I laughed when I heard the stats that the character kills just one person in this film. I mean how can Rambo, the ultimate badass, kill just one person? The laugh is on me, though, because I don't even count that one as his, it was the helicopter pilot's fault for jerking the aircraft. Rambo may destroy an entire town, but a cold-blooded murderer he is not—at least not until part two (with the great name of Rambo: First Blood II, a dual title that confuses the heck out of people on what the original truly was called).

First Blood has become so entrenched in popular culture and the lexicon of cinema that even though I had never seen the film, I could swear I knew Creena's monologue about Rambo verbatim. I'm sure it was parodied multiple times and probably shown at sporting events or something, but I just knew the entire speech—pretty crazy since I had never seen it before. Besides his nice turn during and after that sequence, we get a powerhouse performance from Brian Dennehy as the sheriff. This guy is good and it is too bad he was never used to full potential in the industry. Sure he did a lot of films, but nothing that he stood out from the pack with. As for the star, Sylvester Stallone shows why he was pound for pound the best action star of the 80's. Between this series and Rocky, he was stellar. From the charisma and shy modesty with which he begins the film, searching for his friend, to the stoic killing machine on the warpath, to the broken man unable to believe what has happened to the world around him, Sly runs the gamut effectively and perfectly. By far one of the best action films I've seen, First Blood stands the test of time and delivers on the cult status it holds. Surprisingly, I am now really looking forward to Rambo (part four) and definitely checking it out in a couple of days.

It's a long road.

[Pjtaylor-96-138044 · 7/10 · 19 December 2019]

Though occasionally slow, 'First Blood (1982)' is usually entertaining and often tense as it builds an actual character around the now (thanks to its sequels) caricature of a lead, focusing on his struggles with PTSD and using his tragic tale as a commentary on the way the US treats its veterans. Despite all the destruction and otherwise impactful violence, there's only one kill, which is a far cry from its lead-slinging follow-ups. It goes to show just how powerful this piece's relatively small amount of pain - both internal and external - really is. It's more of a steady drama than an all out 'action flick', for sure. It's a much more resonant experience because of it. 7/10