First Blood

A former soldier's fight for survival turns into a battle against an entire town.

Critics broadly praised the film’s pace, performances, energy, and grounded survival action, though some found the ending emotionally or narratively unsatisfying.

• 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.

• The Deer HunterShares a survival thriller structure, militarized protagonist, wilderness pursuit, and critique of institutional violence.
• Rolling ThunderShares a traumatized Vietnam veteran protagonist, intense action, and postwar alienation within a grounded American setting.
• Southern ComfortShares a lone combat-trained protagonist, police persecution, wilderness tactics, and escalating action-thriller tension.
• Navajo JoeShares a tense manhunt, institutional abuse, and an emotionally wounded protagonist pushed into violent resistance.

Director

Ted Kotcheff

Release Date

1982-10-22

Runtime

93 min

Rating

7.5 / 10 (7200)

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+ Roku Premium Channel, Kanopy, YouTube TV, YouTube Free.