Overview
A former soldier's fight for survival turns into a battle against an entire town.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Brutal
- tense
- brooding
- visceral
- action movie night
- 1980s cinema marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film’s pace, performances, energy, and grounded survival action, though some found the ending emotionally or narratively unsatisfying.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Rambo’s Vietnam trauma and social displacement drive his conflict with Hope’s sheriff and deputies.
The film uses an action-thriller framework to foreground a Vietnam veteran’s abandonment, trauma, and mistreatment.
After escaping the county jail, Rambo evades and outmaneuvers local law enforcement in the forest.
Rambo’s traps, hand-to-hand combat, and survival techniques create the film’s raw, tactile action identity.
Films like First Blood, and why
The Deer Hunter
Shares a survival thriller structure, militarized protagonist, wilderness pursuit, and critique of institutional violence.
Rolling Thunder
Shares a traumatized Vietnam veteran protagonist, intense action, and postwar alienation within a grounded American setting.
Southern Comfort
Shares a lone combat-trained protagonist, police persecution, wilderness tactics, and escalating action-thriller tension.
Navajo Joe
Shares a tense manhunt, institutional abuse, and an emotionally wounded protagonist pushed into violent resistance.
Movie Details
- Director
- Ted Kotcheff
- Release Date
- 1982-10-22
- Runtime
- 93 min
- Rating
- 7.5 / 10 (7129)
Cast
- Sylvester Stallone
- Richard Crenna
- Brian Dennehy
- Bill McKinney
- Jack Starrett
- Michael Talbott
- Chris Mulkey
- John McLiam
- Alf Humphreys
- David Caruso
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, AMC+, YouTube TV, AMC
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is First Blood about?
- A traumatized Vietnam veteran turns the forest around a hostile Washington town into a battlefield when abusive law enforcement drives him into survival mode.
- What is First Blood like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of First Blood as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is First Blood violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in First Blood as brutal.
- What did critics think of First Blood?
- Critics broadly praised the film’s pace, performances, energy, and grounded survival action, though some found the ending emotionally or narratively unsatisfying.
- Which films are like First Blood?
- Films with a similar feel include The Deer Hunter, Rolling Thunder, Southern Comfort, and Navajo Joe.
- How long is First Blood?
- First Blood runs 93 minutes.
- Where can I watch First Blood?
- In United States, First Blood streams on AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, AMC+, YouTube TV, AMC.
