FIRST KILL DVD (2017)

SYNOPSIS: In order to reconnect with his son, a Wall Street broker takes his family to the cabin where he grew up for a hunting trip. But the trip takes a deadly turn when they become entangled in a heist gone bad that results in the broker's son Danny, being kidnapped, forcing his father to recover the stolen loot in exchange for Danny's life.

MOVIE REVIEW:

Bruce Willis teams up for the third time with director Steven C. Miller after Extraction and Marauders to deliver yet another lifeless and flat VOD action thriller funded by Grindstone Entertainment.  

Hayden Christensen if anyone can still recall his appearances in the Star Wars prequels plays hotshot Wall Street broker, Will who decides to toughen up his 11 year old son, Danny (a victim of bullying in school by the way) by teaching him hunting over the weekend. Things went south when the father and son pair stumbles upon two men suspected to be involved in a recent robbery in the small town. When Will shot dead one of the men, his other surviving accomplice, Levi (Gethin Anthony) ends up kidnapping Danny in an attempt to force Will to help him retrieve the loot.

Of course at this point of his flagging career, Willis is not one to care much of the movies he is in or the character he is playing. Minimum work, maximum paycheck is probably his motto by now. One can smell the twist miles away with the appearance of Willis’ local police chief Howell. Is he a guy with an ulterior motive? I bet he is even before the climatic finale tells us so.    

Christensen who disappear from the Hollywood scene for a prolonged period of time puts in more than a serviceable acting effort as a desperate young father out to save his kid. But his matured performance is easily surpassed by Brit Gethin Anthony who successfully portrays a Southerner out to save his ailing mother-in-law and eventually acting as a cousellor to the withdrawn Danny.  

The plotting is easy to follow and for a crime thriller it’s tepid and talky. The action sequences except for an ATV chase in the forest is mostly negligible. For such a tight-budgeted production (the entire shot lasted just two weeks), all they can afford is a few gunshots and nothing more. First Kill is destined to be yet another forgettable action flick featuring the once huge Bruce Willis going through his motion. The only surprises here are Christensen and Gethin Anthony.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The DVD comes with a Director's Commentary, an 11 minutes Behind the Scenes of First Kill, 5 minutes of Deleted Scenes, Cast/Crew Interviews (missing Bruce Willis) and a First Kill Trailer. 

AUDIO/VISUAL:

The digitally shot movie looks great on DVD with perfect detailing and sharp images. The Dolby Digital 5.1 on the other hand boasts a few scenes that features loud surround gunshots, nice ambient effects and a totally unnecessarily loud electronic score.

MOVIE RATING:

DVD RATING :

Review by Linus Tee