First Kill (2017)

When danger comes for your child, there’s no such thing as a clean choice.

First Kill (2017) is a tense crime-action drama that revolves around a father’s desperate attempt to protect his son after a hunting trip goes violently wrong. Directed by Steven C. Miller, the film stars Hayden Christensen as Will Beeman, a successful Wall Street broker trying to reconnect with his young son Danny by taking him back to his small hometown for a bonding weekend in the woods.

But peace turns to panic when they witness a deadly shootout between armed men. Danny is taken hostage by a wounded criminal named Levi (Gethin Anthony), who demands Will recover a missing bag of stolen money in exchange for his son's safety. With no time to lose and no one to trust, Will is forced to navigate a deadly game of deception, where even the local law — including Police Chief Howell, played by Bruce Willis — may be hiding secrets.

What follows is a fast-paced cat-and-mouse thriller. Will must outwit not only the kidnappers, but also unravel a deeper conspiracy tied to corruption, betrayal, and past sins that reach far beyond a simple robbery. As bullets fly and tensions rise, the question shifts: who’s the real villain — the hunted man, the lawman, or the father himself?

The film balances action and emotional stakes, anchoring its tension in Will’s transformation — from a detached businessman to a man willing to kill to protect his family. Christensen gives a solid performance as a father out of his depth but driven by instinct. Willis, though more subdued, adds gravity as a morally ambiguous figure.

Visually, the film keeps the energy tight and grounded, with forest chases, cabin standoffs, and small-town showdowns that highlight the pressure-cooker environment. It’s not reinventing the genre, but it plays its pieces well: personal stakes, mounting tension, and a steady unraveling of trust.

While some critics found the plot predictable or the script uneven, First Kill offers a lean, intense thriller that asks how far one man will go to make things right — even if doing so makes him complicit in bloodshed.