Sometimes just obtaining a new film on Blu-ray can be a challenge as for some unknown reason some titles merely receive a bog standard DVD release in one country whilst others get the proper Bluray experience. That brings me on to a film featuring Bruce Willis, First Kill from 2017 that falls into that category in the UK. That leaves us movie lovers in somewhat of a predicament, after all we don’t want a new movie on DVD when we have a nice high definition or 4K television. The only way around this is to locate a region free version or a foreign language release that has English as an option. These are often available to purchase via third party sellers on places such as Amazon Marketplace. That’s just what has happened with this Bruce Willis title, so without further ado here’s my First Kill blu-ray review.
- First Kill (2017)
- Genre: Action
- Running Time: 102 Mins
- UK Rating N/A
- Discs: 1
- Blu-ray Import (Italian)
Plot
When businessman Will Beamon’s (Hayden Christensen) son Danny is repeatedly bullied at school he decides to take him on holiday to his hometown in Granville, Ohio to hunt deer in an attempt to toughen to him up. Whilst out hunting they come across two men arguing that results in one of the men being shot. When Danny lets out a cry in shock the gunman turns the gunfire on to father and son, what have they just become caught up in? Maybe the police will come to their aid…
Style / Direction
The film is directed by Steven C. Miller with the cinematography side of things that’s taken care of by Brandon Cox. Overall its pretty well shot with some nice camera work, the film flows nicely allowing for plenty of tension and plot twists to occur. Filmmaking wise it’s all reasonably solid.
Music / Audio Effects
The music is composed by Ryan Franks & Scott Nickoley and it has that kind of urgency that an action thriller needs to keep you invested in the story and characters plight.
Acting / Characters
Hayden Christensen plays Will Beamon a businessman that is taking his son Danny (Ty Shelton) on his first hunting trip. Bank robber Levi Barrett played by Gethin Anthony is also a central character and one that sees him take Danny hostage.
The one other central character of note is Police Chief Marvin Howell played by Bruce Willis. He knows Will and his parents from way back and seems a nice enough fellow whom seems to have the best interests of the townsfolk.
These characters are what make First Kill such an interesting and compelling film. The relationship between the young boy Danny and bank robber Levi is particularly well done and is really central to the plot and the overall success of the film. It has a similar feel as say A Perfect World (1993) starring Kevin Costner in which he plays a fugitive on the run with a young boy named Kevin as his hostage.
This film is not however in that league of greatness but does share a similar vibe. For those of you expecting this to be a Bruce Willis film it’s not, that said he does indeed play a pivotal role in the films climax.
Overall the acting is pretty good especially by Ty Shelton as the eleven year Danny and that certainly helps to keep you invested in his and Levi’s story along with the desperation of the father.
Cast
- Hayden Christensen as Will Beamon
- Bruce Willis as Police Chief Marvin Howell
- Ty Shelton as Danny Beamon
- Gethin Anthony as Levi Barrett
- Megan Leonard as Laura Beamon
- Tyler Jon Olson] as Officer Tom Davies
- Jesse Pruett as Officer Lewis
- Shea Buckner as Charlie Stechel
- William DeMeo as Richie Stechel
- Magi Avila as Adèle
- Chris R Moss as Officer Cox
- Chelsea Mee as Tammy
- Deb G. Girdler as Aunt Dottie
- Christine Dye as Mabel Fantion
Conclusion: First Kill (2017) Film Review
First Kill is well worth a look, it’s a far better film than many critics have stated. There is a good plot, a compelling relationship between father and son / bank robber and young boy that keeps you thoroughly hooked. This is an action thriller without any real lulls in proceedings.
All in all this is a thoroughly entertaining 100 minutes that has several little twists and turns, it is well worth a look.
If you like my First Kill blu-ray review you may want to check out these films:
- Acts of Violence (2018)
- Once Upon A Time In Venice (2017)
- Killing Gunther (2017)
- Matchstick Men (2003)
- 8mm (1999)
A thoroughly compelling action thriller reminiscent of A Perfect World.
Conclusion: First Kill Blu-ray Review
The Bluray I’m reviewing here is the Italian version and does require you go into the menu and change the language into English before hitting the play film option. It then plays in English and barring a couple of Italian subtitles when notes are written in English there’s no real way of knowing that this is not a UK release. The picture quality is vastly superior to the DVD that has being released in the UK and is certainly worth picking up providing you can obtain the correct version.
Extras
- None
Popcorn Cinema Rating: First Kill (2017)
MOVIE RATING: WORTH WATCHING
BLU-RAY RATING: EXCELLENT
First Kill (2017) is available now on Blu-ray only if you are prepared to import the Italian version via the Amazon Marketplace. Ensure you select the correct version otherwise you will end up with a Region A disc you cannot play unless you have a multi-region player. Oh and you may also incur taxes depending on the value of the item.
The UK currently only has DVD release which is extremely disappointing in a world which is moving on to 4K not to have a standard Bluray release is simply unacceptable.
First Kill (2017) Trailer
For those of you yet to see the film I’ll leave you with a little taster…
Clip may not be representative of the blu-ray version
That’s First Kill blu-ray review, if you have any thoughts on this film you can leave them over on our Facebook page.
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Summary: First Kill (2017) Blu-ray Review
Movie title: First Kill (2017)
Duration: 102 mins
Director(s): Steven C. Miller
Actor(s): Hayden Christensen, Bruce Willis, Gethin Anthony, Ty Shelton, Megan Leonard
Genre: Action
- Movie Rating
- Blu-ray Picture Rating
Summary
A thoroughly compelling action thriller reminiscent of A Perfect World.
Pros
- Gripping Storyline
- Bruce Willis
Cons
- No UK Blu-ray Release
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