---
title: "First Blood: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/first-blood/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/first-blood"
critics_score: 61
critics_reviews: 9
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# First Blood (1982): what the critics said

Critics' score 61 from 9 reviews: 4 positive, 4 mixed, 1 negative.

## Radio Times — Jason Caro

Rating 4/5. 

Caro finds the film an involving action drama, unlike its cartoonish sequels. He praises Brian Dennehy’s snarling performance and the tautly assembled woodland chase.

[Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-o57xp9/first-blood/)

## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert

Rating 3/4. 22 October 1982. 

Ebert gives the film a positive review. He singles out Rambo’s wounded character as a strength.

[Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/first-blood-1982)

## Empire — Adam Smith

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. 

The critic regards the film as a politically significant, first-rate action thriller, despite some flaws. They especially praise Kotcheff’s tightly paced motorcycle-and-police-car chase and the film’s evocative cinematography.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/first-blood-review/)

## Time Out — TM

Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 

The accessible page identifies this as a review, but its verdict is unavailable. No praise or complaint can be determined from the accessible text.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/first-blood)

## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw

Fi1m's normalised score 55/100 (inferred from the text). 23 June 2022. 

Bradshaw finds the film watchable but preposterous, with limited dramatic wit. He praises its old-school action spectacle, especially the explosions and stunt-glass window crashes.

[Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/jun/23/rambo-first-blood-review-rerelease-sylvester-stallone)

## The New York Times — Vincent Canby

Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 22 October 1982. 

The critic’s verdict is mixed. The review’s specific praise or complaint cannot be verified from the inaccessible page.

[Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1982/10/22/movies/first-blood.html)

## Variety — Variety Staff

Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 1981. 

The review is negative, faulting the film for credibility problems and for retreating from its stated social themes. It particularly complains that the film offers no attempt to address the lingering consequences of Vietnam.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/1981/film/reviews/first-blood-1200425212/)

## Den of Geek — Mark Pickavance

Rating 4/5. 28 August 2008. 

The critic calls it an excellent action film with a strong message about the effects of war. He especially praises Stallone’s performance and the supporting work of Brian Dennehy and Richard Crenna, while criticizing the Blu-ray transfer and sparse extras.

[Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/rambo-first-blood-blu-ray-review/)

## Eye for Film — Angus Wolfe Murray

Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 13 July 2002. 

The DVD is presented as a mixed package, with good picture and sound but little supplementary material. The reviewer praises the widescreen DVD’s colour and sound quality, while noting that its only extra is a trailer.

[Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/dvdreview/first-blood-dvd-review-by-angus-wolfe-murray)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/first-blood.md