FIRST KILL (2017) **

Hayden Christiansen stars as a stockbroker who takes his son out hunting to kill his first deer.  While in the woods, they stumble upon a couple of bank robbers making a botched money exchange.  During the struggle, Christiansen kills one of the thieves in self-defense and the other one takes Christiansen’s kid hostage.  Naturally, the man he killed turns out to be a dirty cop, which gets him in all kinds of hot water with small town sheriff Bruce Willis.  Eventually, the two form an uneasy alliance to recover the money and save Christiansen’s kid. 

First Kill is yet another collaboration between Willis and DTV action vet Steven C. (Arsenal) Miller.  As far as their team-ups go, it’s not as nearly bad as the dull Marauders, nor is it quite as fun as the surprisingly entertaining Extraction.  Although Willis sits out most of the first act, he gets a fair amount of screen time throughout the rest of the picture.  He’s often accused of sleepwalking through his DTV films, but in this one he delivers a decent performance.  Sure, it’s far from his best work, but he doesn’t exactly phone it in either.  Even though Willis looks like he’s putting forth a commendable effort, his character is just too thin to really strike a memorable chord. 

Christiansen likewise fares okay in the lead.  He’ll probably always be in the shadow of Anakin Skywalker, but he shows evidence of having a decent enough DTV career path.  In fact, the early scenes where he and his son are hunting hold a bit of promise as the set-up is certainly strong enough.  It’s just that the ensuing hostage drama is rather boring, and Christiansen’s character’s stupid decision-making process hampers any and all of the potential suspense.  The big twist is predictable too, and Miller allows the finale to play out without much pizzazz.  

The last word on First Kill:  It’s certainly not the worst DTV time-waster Bruce has appeared in, but it’s inessential all the same.