RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
RT's Blu-ray HQ
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | In Theaters
  • | Opening
  • | Upcoming
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / First Blood
First Blood

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Get this Movie
  • Buy Poster External Icon
Bookmark and Share

First Blood (1982)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
85 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted:34

Fresh:29

Rotten:5

Average Rating:7.1/10

Runtime: 1 hr 36 mins

Genre: Action/Adventure

Synopsis: Sylvester Stallone stars as ex-Green Beret John Rambo, a shell-shocked Vietnam vet adrift in the Pacific Northwest. Harassment by an unsympathetic small-town sheriff brings on nasty flashbacks of... Sylvester Stallone stars as ex-Green Beret John Rambo, a shell-shocked Vietnam vet adrift in the Pacific Northwest. Harassment by an unsympathetic small-town sheriff brings on nasty flashbacks of torture at the hands of the Viet Cong; after busting out of the jail where he has been unjustly imprisoned, our psychically-scarred hero vows to get revenge on the ungrateful sheriff. Before blowing the sheriff and his town away, however, Rambo must use his jungle smarts to elude the relentless posse of state troopers and National Guardsmen who pursue him through the forest. [More]

Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Richard Crenna, Brian Dennehy, David Caruso

Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Richard Crenna, Brian Dennehy, David Caruso

Director: Ted Kotcheff

Director: Ted Kotcheff
Producer: Buzz Feitshans
Screenwriter: Michael Kozoll, William Sackheim, Sylvester Stallone
Composer: Jerry Goldsmith

[See More Credits]

Get This Movie

Rent DVD
 
 

Click on the "ADD" button to put this movie into your Netflix queue.

 
 
Buy DVD
 
 
Release:

Oct 20, 1998

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for First Blood

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
04/30/09
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The entryway to the disturbed psychological headspace of a single man, one bent evermore on survival, instinct trumping all.

Full Review Source: UGO | comment Comment
06/14/08
Keith Uhlich
Keith Uhlich
UGO

...does get loonier as it goes along, yet for a while it's actually a mournful and sobering action-movie treatment of postwar stress.

Full Review Source: LarsenOnFilm | comment Comment
05/13/08
Josh Larsen
Josh Larsen
LarsenOnFilm

Now that's ballsy.

Full Review Source: Stranger Song | comment Comment
02/05/08
Rob Humanick
Rob Humanick
Stranger Song

One of the all time most kick ass movie.

Full Review Source: sbs.is | comment 1 Comment
01/29/08
Stefan Birgir Stefansson
Stefan Birgir Stefansson
sbs.is

...First Blood primarily comes off as a relatively tame survivalism flick...

Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | comment Comment
01/24/08
David Nusair
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews

No review available.

comment Comment
04/20/07
Lori Hoffman
Lori Hoffman
Atlantic City Weekly

This action film hangs on an interesting reversal, taking the crazed-killer-in-the-woods theme from Friday the 13th and turning it inside out-- the psychopath is now our hero, a maladjusted ex-Green Beret played by Sylvester Stallone.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
03/01/07
Dave Kehr
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

An effective, if outlandish, picture that exists merely for its big-screen thrills.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
03/01/07
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Director Ted Kotcheff has all sorts of trouble with this mess, aside from credibility.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment 6 Comments
03/01/07
Variety

The film is just too somber and preachy.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment 1 Comment
12/30/06
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

The film that introduced John Rambo is a gripping survival adventure with an emotional ending that's downright moving. Jerry Goldsmith contributes an excellent musical score.

comment Comment
02/16/06
Chuck O'Leary
Chuck O'Leary
FulvueDrive-in.com

As a Stallone vehicle this is sleek, slick and not unexciting, but crassly castrates the David Morrell novel on which it is based.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
01/26/06
Time Out

No review available.

comment 1 Comment
06/14/05
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

comment Comment
01/30/05
Greg Maki
Greg Maki
Star-Democrat (Easton, MD)

Stallone's dogged tale of survival seems so fresh you'd swear it was made last week . . . except for the sad truth that they don't make 'em like that anymore.

Full Review Source: Arizona Daily Star | comment Comment
01/07/05
Phil Villarreal
Phil Villarreal
Arizona Daily Star

Rambo defeats the United States!!! The reason there shouldn't be sequels.

comment Comment
12/21/04
Eric Lurio
Eric Lurio
Greenwich Village Gazette

Sylvester Stallone is one of the great physical actors in the movies, with a gift for throwing himself so fearlessly into an action scene that we can't understand why somebody doesn't really get hurt.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment 1 Comment
10/23/04
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

First Blood is ragged and flashy; it ought to be a big success with audiences that value action for its own sake.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
08/30/04
Janet Maslin
Janet Maslin
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

No review available.

comment Comment
04/15/04
Nicolas Lacroix
Nicolas Lacroix
EnPrimeur.ca
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
all

Latest News for First Blood

April 09, 2008: UK Box Office Breakdown: Son of Rambow Highest New Entry
In a piece of news almost as heartwarming as the film itself, Son of Rambow came in at second place in the UK box office this week, with the British indie nabbing almost... More...

April 07, 2008: Director Garth Jennings on Son of Rambow: The RT Interview
We catch up with one half of Hammer & Tongs to talk First Blood, a return of innocence, and why an 60 year-old bloke sitting on a gun isn't much fun. More...

January 23, 2008: Total Recall: Journey to the Center of Rambo
This week, Sly Stallone revives one of his most iconic characters. In Rambo, John Rambo is back, after a short twenty year break. The Rambo films are now a staple in 80s pop... More...

June 05, 2007: "John Rambo" Finds a Home at Lionsgate
When Sylvester Stallone's "John Rambo" hits theaters later this year (or early next year), it'll come baring that creepy grindy-gears Lionsgate logo that all the... More...

See All

More DVDs

Close
Top Rentals
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
44% 44% Night at the Museum: B…
32% 32% Terminator Salvation
36% 36% Angels & Demons
95% 95% Star Trek
25% 25% Four Christmases

More Rentals…

New On DVD This Week
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
83% 83% Harry Potter and the H…
67% 67% Public Enemies
75% 75% Julie & Julia
95% 95% The Cove
85% 85% World's Greatest Dad

More New Releases…

See All

RT On Current TV

The Rotten Tomatoes Show on Current TV

DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196 | More...

Learn how you can be part of the show

More...

What’s Hot On RT

Tomatometer Watch

Tomatometer Watch

The early reviews are in for Avatar!

Disney Countdown

Disney Countdown

RT looks at Disney's best animated movies!

Keith David

Keith David

We get the actor's Five Favorites and more!

Friday Harvest

Friday Harvest

This week's best pics, vids, and posters!

Other News

Close
  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • Weekly Ketchup: James Cameron Plans a Fantastic Voyage
6
  • James Cameron Talks Avatar Sequels Source: Collider.com
3
  • Natalie Portman Will Battle Pride and Prejudice and Zombies Source: Variety
30
  • Marvel Begins Iron Man 2 Viral Campaign Source: Superhero Hype
12
  • Bryce Dallas Howard Talks Spider-Man 4, Terminator, and Twilight Source: ComingSoon.net
39
  • David Lynch Says He Turned Down Return of the Jedi Source: CinemaBlend.com
36
  • Thomas Dolby Starts a Star Wars Rumor Source: Ain't It Cool News
32
  • Robert Downey Jr. talks Sherlock Holmes & Iron Man 2 - RT Interview
57
  • The Twilight Saga: Eclipse Headed for IMAX Source: Collider.com
48
  • James Cameron Developing Sci-Fi Film for Fox Source: ComingSoon.net
10
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Tomatometer Watch: Will Avatar Live Up To The Hype?
95
  • Total Recall: Keith David's Best Movies
72
  • Five Favorite Films With Avatar's Sam Worthington
51
  • The Gimmicks That Changed Cinema: Part 1
35
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: The Blind Side Takes the Lead
29
  • Help Us Choose the Community Golden Tomato Award
23
  • The Effects of Where the Wild Things Are
20
  • Robert Downey Jr. talks Sherlock Holmes & Iron Man 2 - RT Interview
19
  • Critics Consensus: Princess, Invictus Are Certified Fresh
19
  • Awards Tour: D.C. Film Critics Name Up in the Air as Year's Best
18
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • Robert Downey Jr. talks Sherlock Holmes & Iron Man 2 - RT Interview
19
  • Five Favorite Films With Avatar's Sam Worthington
51
  • Director Ruben Fleischer Talks Zombieland
2
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
17
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
12
  • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
23
  • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
8
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
15
  • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
23
  • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
9
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • First Blood at Rotten Tomatoes
  • First Blood at IGN

Fresh Links

Featured
Best Sci-Fi This Decade
Best Sci-Fi This Decade External Link

Techland lists the best Sci-Fi films of this decade.

40 Worst Films of the 2000s
40 Worst Films of the 2000s External Link

Moviefone takes a look back at the biggest stinkers of the past 10 years.

10 Questions For Zac Efron
10 Questions For Zac Efron External Link

The Me and Orson Welles star answers reader questions on TIME.com.

Best Decade Ever!
Best Decade Ever! External Link

Hollywood.com's C. Robert Cargill offers his thoughts on what the best decade for film was.

Pee-Wee's Big Adventure
Pee-Wee's Big Adventure External Link

In the AV Club's "Scenic Routes," Mike D'Angelo reminisces about the Tim Burton film.

Promos
Follow RT on Twitter
Follow RT on Twitter External Link

Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Games| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.