Rambo First Blood (Blu-ray) (1982)

Entertainment Weekly
"As John Rambo, Sylvester Stallone was a one-man army." 04/15/2005 p.48

Chicago Sun-Times 8 of 10
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. When he explodes near the beginning of First Blood, hurling cops aside and breaking out of a jail with his fists and speed, it's such a convincing demonstration of physical strength and agility that we never question the scene's implausibility...The best scenes come as Stallone's on the run in the forest, using a hunting knife with a compass in the handle, and living off the land. At one point he's trapped on a cliffside by a police helicopter, and we really feel for this character who has been hunted down through no real fault of his own. - Roger Ebert
 
Movie Cynics 8 of 10
For those of you out there that are too ignorant to know any better, the first Rambo movie was never called Rambo, but simply First Blood. Not until the success of the sequel would First Blood have the name Rambo attached to it. Purists will complain that the first film is actually an indictment of the Vietnam war, which sets it apart from the reluctant hero attitude of the sequels that would follow...Sylvester Stallone and Brian Dennehy both make the movie what it is, a case study of what happens when two alpha males butt heads and refuse to back down. Dennehy hands in one of the most amazing ball-busting performances I've ever seen. The opening dialogue between Rambo and Sheriff Teasle is more memorable than most scenes...First Blood is often remembered as the movie that started the "Rambo" franchise. In reality, it is far superior to its later incarnations. The film is dark, depressing, and completely enthralling. Much of the imagery is moody and tense, which is quite different from the over the top action that would take its place in the sequels...First Blood is a tense action/thriller with a dark tone. The action in the film is more realistic than its following incarnations, and the direction is by far the best it ever was in the series as much of the imagery is iconic and beautiful. Check it out.
 
BBC Online 8 of 10
"First Blood" may have signalled the beginning of the incredibly lucrative "Rambo" series but for Sylvester Stallone it represented his first success outside the "Rocky" franchise. The heavily dramatic "FIST." (1978), the critically acclaimed "Nighthawks" (1981), or the risible "Escape to Victory" (1981) were among the notable flops Stallone starred in between the "Rocky" films...Stallone plays the Vietnam vet John Rambo who falls foul of an over-zealous hick, town sheriff Teasle (Brian Dennehy). Taking an instant dislike to Rambo, Teasle arrests him. His subsequent humiliation in the local clink plus a forced shaving gives Rambo flashbacks to his torture in 'Nam and he breaks out, only for Teasle to stage a massive manhunt involving over 200 Guardsmen...At this point the film turns essentially into a chase movie with Stallone foiling his pursuers at every turn. As opposed to the later films his hapless enemies are only maimed by Rambo and never killed...Stallone underwent training in survival skills and hand-to-hand combat that helped give the film such a raw and authentic edge that excited the audiences of the time. This didn't prevent his by now standard hospital visits while making a film. Four broken ribs and a burned hand were some of the injuries he sustained portraying the cinema's most famous one-man army. - Almar Haflidason