First Blood (1982)
85%RT Audience Score: 85%
Awards & Nominations: 1 win & 2 nominations
Much darker and more sensitive than the sequels it spawned, First Blood is a thrilling survival adventure that takes full advantage of Sylvester Stallone’s acting skills
First Blood is the ultimate action movie that will make you want to scream “Adrian!” at the top of your lungs. Stallone’s portrayal of John Rambo is both intense and vulnerable, making him the perfect hero to root for as he takes on the establishment. And let’s not forget those iconic one-liners that will have you quoting the movie for days. Sure, it’s preposterous and bloody, but that’s what makes it so much fun. So grab some popcorn, sit back, and enjoy the ride.
Production Company(ies)
Road Movies Filmproduktion, Argos Films, Westdeutscher Rundfunk
Distributor
NA
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
Hope, British Columbia, Canada
MPAA / Certificate
R
Year of Release
1982
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
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Runtime:NA
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Streaming): Nov 23, 2004
Genre(s)
Action/Adventure
Keyword(s)
starring Sylvester Stallone, Brian Dennehy, Richard Crenna, David Caruso, Jack Starrett, Michael Talbot, Buzz Feitshans, Herb Nanas, directed by Ted Kotcheff, written by Michael Kozoll, William Sackheim, Sylvester Stallone, David Morrell, action, adventure, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Kevin Maher, Peter Bradshaw, Michael Sragow, Stanley Kauffmann, James Berardinelli, Keith Uhlich, Mike Massie, Richard Freedman, Matt Brunson, Sean Chandler, Diego Galán, producer Buzz Feitshans, Herb Nanas, R rating, Vietnam veteran, survival adventure, intolerance, brutality, prisoner of war, manhunt, hunters, hunted, Rambo
Worldwide gross: $125,212,904
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $395,887,157
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 388
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 43,171,991
US/Canada gross: $47,212,904
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $149,273,611
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 518
US/Canada opening weekend: $6,642,005
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $21,000,108
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 633
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $15,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $47,425,682
Production budget ranking: 835
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $25,538,730
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $322,922,746
ROI to date (est.): 443%
ROI ranking: 294
Richard Crenna – Trautman
Brian Dennehy – Teasle
David Caruso – Mitch
Jack Starrett – Galt
Michael Talbot – Balford
Buzz Feitshans – Producer
Herb Nanas – Producer
Ted Kotcheff – Director
Michael Kozoll – Writer
William Sackheim – Writer
Sylvester Stallone – Writer
David Morrell – Writer
Director(s)
Ted Kotcheff
Writer(s)
Michael Kozoll, William Sackheim, Sylvester Stallone, David Morrell
Producer(s)
Buzz Feitshans, Herb Nanas
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
1 win & 2 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (49) | Top Critics (12) | Fresh (42) | Rotten (7)
Stallone brought intense physicality, obviously, but also hangdog vulnerability to a character who takes revenge on a cruel, unfeeling establishment and utters some of the most iconic lines in shoot’em’up history.
June 24, 2022 | Rating: 4/5
Kevin Maher
Times (UK)
TOP CRITIC
Watchable if entirely preposterous…
June 23, 2022 | Rating: 3/5
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
An ambitious, bloody, talented but pulpy mess.
June 21, 2022
Michael Sragow
Rolling Stone
TOP CRITIC
There’s another appeal in Rambo. Simplicity. Successful action justifies all.
January 8, 2018
Stanley Kauffmann
The New Republic
TOP CRITIC
The darker tone, somber subtext, and generally non-exploitative violence allow viewers to enjoy the film not only as an action/thriller but as something with a degree of intelligence and substance.
April 30, 2009 | Rating: 3/4
James Berardinelli
ReelViews
TOP CRITIC
The entryway to the disturbed psychological headspace of a single man, one bent evermore on survival, instinct trumping all.
June 14, 2008
Keith Uhlich
UGO
TOP CRITIC
Pushed-to-the-edge survivalist John Rambo raised the bar significantly for action heroes.
September 6, 2020 | Rating: 9/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
Considerably “less thoughtful than, say, Coming Home on a similar subject, First Blood so revels In sadism that Its high-minded pretenses are quickly washed away in blood — first, last and always.
May 12, 2020 | Rating: 2/4
Richard Freedman
Newhouse News Service
The first and best of the franchise.
September 22, 2019 | Rating: 3/4
Matt Brunson
Film Frenzy
While the sequels may have tarnished it’s reputation, Rambo’s original adventure is a great action-thriller and character study.
September 17, 2019 | Rating: A-
Sean Chandler
Sean Chandler Talks About
The movie makes the protagonist into a new hero, which is why he doesn’t die, although in the excellent original novel his defeat was precisely the message. [Full Review in Spanish]
August 27, 2019
Diego Galán
El Pais (Spain)
There’s no trace of the Rambo that would become the symbol of American militaristic excess of the ’80s in First Blood.
November 19, 2018 | Rating: 4/5
Sean Mulvihill
FanboyNation.com…
Plot
John J. Rambo is a former United States Special Forces soldier who fought in Vietnam and won the Congressional Medal of Honor, but his time in Vietnam still haunts him. As he came to Hope, Washington to visit a friend, he was guided out of town by the Sheriff William Teasel who insults Rambo, but what Teasel does not know that his insult angered Rambo to the point where Rambo became violent and was arrested. As he was at the county jail being cleaned, he escapes and goes on a rampage through the forest to try to escape from the sheriffs who want to kill him. Then, as Rambo’s commanding officer, Colonel Samuel Trautman tries to save both the Sheriff’s department and Rambo before the situation gets out of hand.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
There is no goofy or funny or odd comment about the film First Blood on Fresh Kernels.
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