First Blood 1982

Janet Maslin, New York Times: First Blood is ragged and flashy; it ought to be a big success with audiences that value action for its own sake. Read more

Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader: This action film hangs on an interesting reversal, taking the crazed-killer-in-the-woods theme from Friday the 13th and turning it inside out-- the psychopath is now our hero, a maladjusted ex-Green Beret played by Sylvester Stallone. Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: 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. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: 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. Read more

Time Out: As a Stallone vehicle this is sleek, slick and not unexciting, but crassly castrates the David Morrell novel on which it is based. Read more

Variety: Director Ted Kotcheff has all sorts of trouble with this mess, aside from credibility. Read more