Death Sentence (C+ or 2.5/4 stars)
'Death Sentence' is a revenge thriller directed by James Wan (of the Saw franchise). When the Hume family falls victim to a gang-perpetrated initiation attack, the vengeful father, Nick (Kevin Bacon), vows to 'do away with' each member involved in the crime. Once a mild-mannered executive, Nick now has to collect himself, transform to warrior, and survive a war against the aforementioned gang. Bacon displays a variance of emotional colors (happiness, grief, anger) very well. I definitely liked 'Death Sentence'. But some implausibility and an excess of profanity & gore turned me (and some non-Saw loving viewers) off, at times.
Nick had it all (as seen in a montage of home videos of him with his family): successful career, lovely wife (Kelly Preston), 2 boys (Stuart Lafferty & Jordan Garrett). But you should know by now (from plentiful trailers) that Nick's eldest son is tragically killed at a gas station. His life is immediately shattered. Luckily, Nick knows his foe by face. But when the justice dept. offers 3-5 yrs. in prison as retribution, Nick lets the guy go free so that he can track him down to kill him ( a la Charles Bronson, in the great Death Wish films). By way of violence, Nick is avenged and can feel 'some' sense of satisfaction. Unfortunately, fellow gang members look for THEIR vindication by going after the rest of Nick's family! It doesn't help that the cops are neither sympathetic to a situation like this, nor able enough to halt the deadly gang. Deaths occur, situations worsen, & Nick finds himself in a disturbing, brutal struggle to end the war he didn't begin.
First things first, Kevin Bacon excels in this vigilante role. He thinks he has it made, then his world is turned upside down, and we see the gradual disintegration of a human being. Once content, he descends into the facade of a raw, tormented soul. Aisha Tyler is decent as the homicide detective. John Goodman has some fun as a deranged gun dealer. There's an amazing 3-minute segment where the gang pursues Nick through a parking garage that is one of the best staged action sequences I've seen all year. The camerawork (here, & in other sequences) is quite impressive. There are several gripping moments. I enjoy watching a good guy kick some butt. But do 2 wrongs make a right? In this case, I lend a deafening YES. The military 'always' says yes. And the law says a resounding NO.
That said, while the film goes fairly quickly, I did think there were some slow parts. I also feel like the movie didn't quite know what it wanted to do/be. Its dynamics bounce from a revenge flick, to a pulp thriller, to a poignant melodrama, to a gruesome gore-fest, and back again. It fairs well in some of these, & struggles in other transitions. It teeters on being over-the-top in several moments. People who should be debilitated, or even DEAD ... barely seem to struggle (this isn't Superman {eyeballs rolling}). Case in point: while I 'get' the dramatic, explosive ending (meaning, it's appropriate within this plot), it's more on auto-pilot, than it is well-thought out or conceivable. All in one ... I disliked the incredibility, I cringed at excess gore, but I (inconsistently) liked a lot. It's not a bad movie (most critics are inexplicably hating it). Thumbs up for me; though, it could have been tinkered into being a truly great film.
Nick had it all (as seen in a montage of home videos of him with his family): successful career, lovely wife (Kelly Preston), 2 boys (Stuart Lafferty & Jordan Garrett). But you should know by now (from plentiful trailers) that Nick's eldest son is tragically killed at a gas station. His life is immediately shattered. Luckily, Nick knows his foe by face. But when the justice dept. offers 3-5 yrs. in prison as retribution, Nick lets the guy go free so that he can track him down to kill him ( a la Charles Bronson, in the great Death Wish films). By way of violence, Nick is avenged and can feel 'some' sense of satisfaction. Unfortunately, fellow gang members look for THEIR vindication by going after the rest of Nick's family! It doesn't help that the cops are neither sympathetic to a situation like this, nor able enough to halt the deadly gang. Deaths occur, situations worsen, & Nick finds himself in a disturbing, brutal struggle to end the war he didn't begin.
First things first, Kevin Bacon excels in this vigilante role. He thinks he has it made, then his world is turned upside down, and we see the gradual disintegration of a human being. Once content, he descends into the facade of a raw, tormented soul. Aisha Tyler is decent as the homicide detective. John Goodman has some fun as a deranged gun dealer. There's an amazing 3-minute segment where the gang pursues Nick through a parking garage that is one of the best staged action sequences I've seen all year. The camerawork (here, & in other sequences) is quite impressive. There are several gripping moments. I enjoy watching a good guy kick some butt. But do 2 wrongs make a right? In this case, I lend a deafening YES. The military 'always' says yes. And the law says a resounding NO.
That said, while the film goes fairly quickly, I did think there were some slow parts. I also feel like the movie didn't quite know what it wanted to do/be. Its dynamics bounce from a revenge flick, to a pulp thriller, to a poignant melodrama, to a gruesome gore-fest, and back again. It fairs well in some of these, & struggles in other transitions. It teeters on being over-the-top in several moments. People who should be debilitated, or even DEAD ... barely seem to struggle (this isn't Superman {eyeballs rolling}). Case in point: while I 'get' the dramatic, explosive ending (meaning, it's appropriate within this plot), it's more on auto-pilot, than it is well-thought out or conceivable. All in one ... I disliked the incredibility, I cringed at excess gore, but I (inconsistently) liked a lot. It's not a bad movie (most critics are inexplicably hating it). Thumbs up for me; though, it could have been tinkered into being a truly great film.