Review | First Kill film review: Bruce Willis plays bad cop in boring action thriller best seen on DVD or as download
Also starring Hayden Christiansen as a city slicker trying to toughen up his son on a hunting trip, First Kill is a functional action thriller that just about delivers what is expected, but struggles to provide any real excitement
2/5 stars
The only interesting thing about First Kill is that Bruce Willis plays a bad cop. Although the movie has some touches of nastiness, including a child being threatened by a knife, there’s nothing controversial about it, and little to excite, either.
Hayden Christensen – Anakin Skywalker from Star Wars: Episode 2 and Episode 3 – plays Will, a city slicker who takes his son Danny (Ty Shelton) on a hunting trip to toughen him up so he can deal with some school bullies.
While tracking deer in a forest, Will and Danny are caught up in a shoot-out between two bank robbers. Danny is kidnapped by a felon and when Will tries to get him back he is trailed by Howell (Willis) – a cop who may not be on the right side of the law.
Willis, in his third actioner for director Steven C. Miller (after 2015’s Extraction and 2016’s Marauders), doesn’t get much screen time, and doesn’t bother to get to grips with the nuances of his equivocal character – Howell is unappealing and mean throughout.