Death Sentence (2007) User Reviews

Vengeance, pure and simple

[TomCruiseFan99 · 8/10 · 22 April 2008]

Reminiscent of previous vigilante films like Death Wish and The Brave One, this film is much more action-packed and gripping. Kevin Bacon gives an excellent performance as a traumatised father who witnessed his son's murder and decides to punish the killers himself, rather than depend on the police.

The action scenes are truly suspenseful and keep you on the edge of your seat, especially a foot-chase that culminates in a deadly game of hide-and-seek within a 5-storey parking garage. Another factor that sets this film apart from previous vigilante thrillers is that it still manages to serve up quite a few twists and turns that add to the tension.

As exciting and gripping as this film is, please be fore-warned: the violence shown on screen is not for those with weak stomachs. It's graphic, brutal, edgy and tense. Still, this does not detract from the film at all. If anything, it makes the whole experience more visceral.

revenge is a dish best served with Bacon!

[Quinoa1984 · 6/10 · 18 July 2016]

I've been told over time through industry professionals, sometimes in classes I've taken, quotes from movie stars and writers and directors and so on, that if you have a good script and a mediocre director you can still have a decent film, but if the script is terrible it doesn't matter how great the director is but the project won't be able to fly. I still am not sure if James Wan is a great director - he really has a mixed record for me now that I've seen most of his films (in brief, Saw sucks, Conjuring 1 & 2 are terrific, and Furious 7 is... Furious 7! it has some extreme/dumb things and yet is brainless fun). But he does pull out a lot more directorially out of a script that is at times convincing and dramatic, and other times is hackneyed revenge/sometimes cop drama.

There's one "virtuoso" scene as critics like to call it - which is euphemism for 'impressive' - where Kevin Bacon is being chased by the thugs, first on the street during day time (they don't give a f*** so much they open fire in broad daylight with a lot of people on the street), and then give chase through alleys, inside a kitchen, and leading out to a parking lot. Though at first it's cut fairly conventionally, the way Wan is shooting this is inspired (he used a 'rickshaw' type of device so the camera could lead in front of the actors at a faster speed, plus on golf carts), but when it gets into the parking lot Wan decides to go full Chanwook Park and do it in one shot. And it's done with extreme creativity (both extreme and creative) as Bacon and the other actors are running, actually running, and going through little patches of space to go one level to another until our (anti)hero gets to the top level where his car is at.

That last aspect of how he happened to be where his car is exactly at is convenient story-wise (that it's the parking lot where he works at, he just happened to get back there while running in a frenzy), nevertheless Wan has a strong visual idea and executes it with his crew wonderfully. And throughout much (though not all) of Death Sentence, he is doing his best to make a (to say it generously) hit or miss screenplay fly as something harrowing and intense. The movie gives us a good look at a family - the dialog between this somewhat typical 'happy' family, brothers in-fight a bit, one son gets in trouble at school (where mom happens to be Dean) - and then the bad thing happens, where one of the sons is killed in a "gang initiation" thing that looks like a gas station robbery, and the killer is let go without much fanfare.

The details of how this young thug is practically let go by the court for, uh, "reasons" is a little too tidy and convenient (the gas station happened to be the "only one in America" without surveillance), and maybe that's what I keep coming back to as a problem with the movie: convenience, things that the movie kind of lets go so the story can keep going forward. Other things like that is how the cop character (Detective Wallis, played by Aisha Tyler replacing a "50-ish white guy", which is cool!) doesn't do more when Nick Hume starts to take matters into his own hands, first going after the released killer in the middle of the night, and then when, later on (spoilers) two cops are killed while the main batch of criminals go through them to get into Nick's house in the middle of the night to settle scores. Like, I know you're angry at Nick for making this situation worse and worse by starting s*** with criminals, but now two cops are DEAD, you have more important things to worry about now!

So there's logic inconsistencies. Why recommend it? For me, the gritty approach to the camera-work and the acting from the criminal characters (and John Goodman in a small but pivotal role!) connected and felt strong. I can criticize certain parts of the style, like the choice of music (sometimes it's alright, other times it feels like it was picked by an uninspired/lazy music supervisor with some of these songs), but Wan mostly got how to make this intense by going for 'real' and yet it's still a cinematic approach to the 'real', if that makes sense, like it has a logical approach to how characters move through rooms and buildings and work with guns.

The other aspect is Bacon. He really, really brings it and if you like him generally this is him going full blown fiery/emotional force. But there's a progression to it - he is playing a 'normal' guy, fairly white collar, suburban middle class, and when Nick does this first violent act he's genuinely shocked, in tears, shaking. It's not something that looks and feels like a movie character that brushes things off, and his vulnerability brings us closer to his experience as he digs himself deeper into vigilante/revenge drama (even down to how he does a 'Taxi Driver' shaving-head bit, which is much messier and all the better for it). All the while, this actor brings it and finds the moments where nuance can play into it. He and Wan and a few other things elevate a hackneyed script, which is the exception to the general principle of 'script script script'. In this sake, I dug it. Usually.

pretty good

[protector2222 · 8/10 · 31 August 2007]

I thought this movie was great. I think Bacon never fails to perform. The movies he picks to do show a lot of his depth as he very rarely plays a one dimensional character. There was a story to this movie. A very complicated story. If you didn't notice the story you got distracted by the violence. Some of the dialogue was cheesy but that is what makes it great.

The only problem I had with the film was the detective role. She seemed to serve zero purpose whatsoever. I am not taking away from the acting done for that role. But every scene she was in was slower and just did not fit with the rest of the movie. Other then acting as a very short winded inner monologue for Bacon's character, all she did was say no no, your safe, they're dead, and no.

We all knew where this movie was going we didn't need the attempt to turn into a crime drama.

If you did not like this movie you went into it expecting the wrong thing. This is a revenge movie. It had no supernatural parts. When someone was shot they bled a lot and they were in pain.

If you ever wanted to exact revenge on someone in your own mind or in your dreams go see this movie it is great.

"Death Wish" brought to the 21st century.

[oak- · 1 August 2007]

No logic but lots of action, violence, gunfights and gore in this one. There is very little meat on the story-bone and in times where, thanks to TV, everyone is an expert on police procedures the lack of logic is almost appalling. But throw the CSI-knowledge over board and you're in for a crazy and entertaining ride. Nicely shoot with some great camera movement Wan is shooting stuff to pieces almost like Hong Kong directors did in the early '90s. No marksmen here, but who cares, this is pure pleasure for the eyes. Kevin Bacon delivers nicely and adds a whole new facet to the dad-on-a-rampage character. There's even a little "Taxi Driver" in him – and not only because of his gun and hairstyle.

If this is your poison go give Death Sentence a try.

As revenge thrillers go, this has got balls!

[hitchcockthelegend · 7/10 · 4 March 2008]

Nothing new and exciting here for what is fast becoming a tired old genre, but boasting the considerable talents of Kevin Bacon in the lead role, Death Sentence is way above average and never outstays its welcome. Nick Hume & his son Brendan stop at a gas station one night and a violent turn of events transforms Nick into a maelstrom of fury...

Asking the question of just what lengths we would go to to look after our families, Death Sentence is merely following on from the likes of Death Wish and Eye For An Eye. But here the violence is upped to such a gruesome standard, it creates maximum impact. Yet it's not the violence that leaves the lasting impression, it's the descent of the main protagonist that terrifies the most. A humble and decent man spiralling out of control, done down by the system, he finds darkness within him that he surely didn't know he had.

Some sequences here are excellent and well staged by director James Wan, and he shows considerable skill with his fluid camera. But these things tend to get over looked in a film of this type. Elsewhere, although we are asked to swallow the impossible for one too many occasions, and the cops are stupid beyond belief, the film does find a couple of narrative tricks to also keep it out of formulaic tedium. Kevin Bacon deserves better than this for sure, but he's great in the dual role and as revenge thrillers go, in case I haven't violently rammed home the point yet, this really hits the mark. Kind of like a kick in the privates really. 7/10

Fear and Bullets Are for the Enemies

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 7 June 2008]

The family man and senior vice-president of the insurance company Starship Capital Nick Hume (Kevin Bacon) lives a comfortable life with his wife Helen (Kelly Preston) and his sons Brendan (Stuart Lafferty) and Lucas (Jordan Garrett). While driving back home with his son Brendan after a game of hockey, Nick stops his car in a gas station in a dangerous neighborhood and he witnesses his son being murdered by the punk Joe Darley (Matt O'Leary) in the convenience store. When the prosecutor tells the grieving Nick that Joe would get a maximum of three years in prison, Nick tells the judge in court that he has not recognized Joe as the killer of his son. In the night, Nick goes to Joe's place and stabs him to death. When Joe's brother Billy (Garrett Hedlund) is informed about the death of Joe, he summons his gang in a war against Nick with tragic consequences.

Revenge is a theme that produces good movies, and "Death Sentence" is no exception, with a strong dramatic appeal of the price of admission of a youngster in a gang of criminals. The plot is engaging and the reaction of Nick that has a breakdown is absolutely acceptable due to the flawed justice system, without laws to convict a criminal that destroys a family. In my country, for example, there is neither death nor life sentences even for hideous crimes and a criminal can be sentenced to a maximum of thirty years imprisoned. The war between Nick and Billy's gang in the last twenty minutes is exaggerated, but gives a good conclusion to the story, but never balances the equation. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Sentença de Morte" ("Death Sentence")

A very good revenge drama/thriller/action flick.

[Fella_shibby · 9/10 · 15 August 2016]

I first saw this film in 2008 on a DVD. I enjoyed it. The movie was very well made. Kevin Bacon gav an excellent performance as a father seeking revenge. The movie never slows down or gets boring. John Goodman also appears in a nice cameo role. Fans of Death Wish, The Brave One, Harry Brown, The Punisher, Law abiding citizen shud definitely check this out. I was most impressed by the camera work in the chase scenes. I was rooting for the lead character from the word go and Bacon did not let me down. Death sentence was a great thrill ride from the emotional opening credits to the chilling conclusion. At times it was brutal, gory n depressing. The music by Charlie Clouser (Saw series, The collection, Resident evil extinction) was very effective at establishing the proper mood. It has some hard hitting action, fantastic foot chase, some amazing gun fights n some unique death scenes. The soundtrack is very depressing and moody and helps set the tone of the film. Its directed by James Wan (Saw, Dead silence, Insidous, Conjuring, Fast n furious 7). Nice cinematography by John R. Leonetti (Conjuring, Insidious). It's based on the book (sequel to the original Deathwish) written by Brian Garfield, the author of Death wish.

Gee! What Could Have Been

[james1844 · 6/10 · 1 September 2007]

I'm going to be the exception to the flow of "thumbs up" fans of this K. Bacon movie. This film is good in so many ways: Acting, cinematography, and raw realism ...BUT... It loses its' base and frustrates the movie-goer when it lacks reasonable logic and believability in several scenes. First, Bacon decides to get revenge with little preparation. Second, he goes from a bundled up neurotic basket-case white collar worker and then becomes "Jason Bourne." Third, if that isn't enough, the bad guy thugs shoot him and obviously everyone in the theater can see he's only winged and "they" leave him while exiting the house with nary a cop in sight while a patrol car sits out front with two murdered officers leaning on a horn blaring away. Where are the back-up? Then good 'ol Kevin escapes the hospital with great ease not to mention heading back to his house and several other places to prepare for his assault on the bad boys lair. This is only a smidgen of several "beyond belief" scenarios that just frustrated the heck out of me. Notice that I gave the film 6 stars and thats because it was a masterpiece in so many ways. What must be also said is that, had this film brought together the realism to the high caliber of all the things that did work then this could have been one heck of a film. Lastly, I felt betrayed by the ending that left questions unanswered.

How is this film not held in higher regard?

[pugheaven · 10/10 · 9 November 2019]

Yes we know its "just" a revenge film for for one scene in particular where it's done in one shot... this is one of the best in years. Great acting and script... little far fetched but so are they all. Just a great film.

Straightforward revenge movie with lots of plot holes

[perica-43151 · 6/10 · 28 October 2019]

This is pretty run of the mill movie, that feels like a typical 90s production. Kevin Bacon is very solid, as he comes from sixth to the first degree with a lot of deserving pun ks. One sequence of organized and determined action towards the end is particularly inspired and/or inspiring, and John Goodman is very good, though his role is, like much of the movie, thin plot-wise. The movie falls rather flat and is quite formulaic with the setup, and you have to part with logic on one place too many along the way in the story. Still, a decent entertainment value that trumps the many annoying, intel ligence insu lting elements.

Things I've Learned from Watching "Death Sentence (2007)"

[room102 · 1/10 · 18 December 2007]

* MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD * (duh!)

• If your son is bleeding to death, it's a lot more useful to shout for help when there's nobody around than to call an ambulance.

• If your son is bleeding to death, let him walk by himself instead of carrying him - it would help stopping the bleed.

• When you are angry - stand in the middle of the road and wait for a car to smash you.

• Gang members only get flesh wounds when getting hit by a car on the highway.

• Montages are NOT a cliché.

• Gang members look super-cool in red light.

• When you want to sentence a murderer - it's enough to go to trial with one single evidence at hand (a witness).

• You can kill the guy, who murdered your son, at the same day he was released - the police would never suspect you did it. And if a policewoman would know you did it, she'll just tell you it's "not OK".

• Your friends at work would never ask you why your hand is all wrapped in bandage and is bleeding. But if you want to be sure - put your hand behind your back.

• Working in an office would put you in better shape than any gang member.

• There is no bullet in the world that can hit Kevin Bacon - unless he's running in slow motion or found in red lighting environment, which tends to make him vulnerable.

• Kelly Preston never learned what "overacting" means.

• If you secured the entire house and locked all the windows, it's OK to open the door to whoever rings the bell.

• If you're working in a hospital, it's good to tell a joke to someone whose entire family has just been murdered.

• If you're working in a bank, it's good to tell a joke to someone who draws all his savings.

• If you're working in a bar, you would never believe that anyone else speaks Spanish.

• Always read the instructions before using a weapon. It will also teach you how to shoot.

• Having your son in hospital would give you immunity when murdering bad guys.

• It's important to shave your head before going to kill your family's murderers.

• If you're going to crash into another guy's car, don't put your seat belt - it's for pu**ies.

• Mutilation is super-cool.

• Even Kevin Bacon can't save this movie from James Wan's direction.

1/10 Hilarious movie. Highly recommended!

Wan delivers in a non-horror-film

[gecco-2 · 9/10 · 1 August 2007]

I just saw this Movie at the Fantasy-Film-Fest in Munich and I have to say: Great stuff.

Wan really delivers on this new Genre.

Kevin Bacon is brilliant as always as the tormented father of a happy family (at least at the beginning of the movie), John Goodman does a stunning performance in a small but impressive supporting role.

The action sequences got me to the edge of the seat and boy, this really doesn't happen very often I must confess.

Go and watch this, you wont regret it - if you don't principally have problems with revenge-movies like "The Punisher" or "Straw Dogs"!

... ... ... ... ... ...

Great thriller!

[Gunnar_Runar_Ingibjargarson · 7/10 · 20 June 2008]

James Wan (Saw) brings the ultra-violence to this gritty story of a suburban father (Kevin Bacon) who discovers the consequences of revenge after his son is murdered. The perpetrators of this senseless killing are a multi-ethnic (and highly visible) gang of drug dealers and cutthroats led by the psychotic Billy Darley (Garrett Hedlund); when the case is thrown out on a technicality, Bacon takes a page from Charles Bronson's book (no surprise, as this is based on author Brian Garfield's 1975 follow-up to Death Wish) and pursues a vigilante course to avenge his boy. Things do not go according to Bacon's plan, which cues a series of frantic and well-executed action set pieces, most notably a parking structure chase that unfolds in a nearly unbroken take. Death Sentence breaks no new ground in the action-thriller department, and its characters and dialog are nearly indistinguishable from any violent crime movie of the last few decades (in its weakest moments, it resembles grind house fare like The Exterminator); however, Bacon is excellent (as always) as the mild-mannered architect who discovers his inner killer the hard way, and Wan's knack for screen mayhem and unsettling atmosphere are well used here. The DVD includes both the theatrical version and an unrated cut (which offers 10 additional minutes), as well as two making-of features that originally aired on the Fox Movie Channel, and several websites that focus on director Wan, his cast, and the film's elaborate stunts and fight scenes.

The movie was stupid

[stanleyloftness · 4/10 · 1 September 2007]

At least in walking tall he recuperated before going on a revenge spree. The police were made to look very stupid. After 2 policemen are killed and they know who the killers are, no one tries to track them down. Please... If I knew a gang was after me and my family, I certainly would not keep them at home. They would be on the first flight out of town. He escapes from the hospital and the police know that he is out for revenge, but no one bothers to look for him at his house. Someone who has never handled guns before becomes an expert marksman by reading the manuals. It would not have taken much to have the plot make more sense. They could at least have the police trying to do something.

Better

[fluffchop · 7/10 · 17 March 2022]

This is the second James Wan movie I watched today and this is better than the first. I don't even remember the title of the first one I watched. Lets face it it's pretty hard to mess this sort of movie up. It almost needs no director as the story is so obvious the actors know what to do without being told. It has no style or substance. It's just a mindless picture with no redeeming qualities. Everyone loses in the end, the cops are useless (so true to life) and what he should have done was testified. Being in risk assessment that's exactly what his character would do, but no, in a change of heart and show of defiance he says he didn't know who did it. This is the feeble setup for what follows. I enjoyed it so I gave it a 7/10 even though it's probably a 5/10 at best.

A really good Kevin bacon action movie

[hucklejarod · 7/10 · 9 February 2022]

This movie is one of the best Kevin bacon action movie it's really good . I've watch this like four times and it's so good Kevin bacon is a good actor his movies are really good . Like footloose is really good and all of his other movies too. But this one is good and kinda sad too . But not really sad more action then drama. So if you are looking for a action you should watch this it's such a good movie.

Do not listen to all the negative reviews!

[hatrick714714 · 8/10 · 31 August 2007]

If anything is going to hurt this movie, it is going to be all of the negative reviews it has been receiving from all of these stuck up critics! Death Sentence is exactly what everyone is expecting it to be, and fans of the 'Revenge' genre will have a blast watching Kevin Bacon chase after his son's killers in this gruesome and riveting storyline.

Kevin Bacon gives an almost scary performance, and the movie will have moments that make some people cringe, and surprisingly some moments that will bring people tears.

Mixing revenge and violence with the struggles in the main character's life works well, and the movie never slows down or gets boring. It is not as if the director really messed anything up, and I don't know what the negative feedback was for, but this movie will certainly entertain the majority of people who go to see it. Have fun!

A grim tale of urban vigilantism, adapted from Brian Garfield's novel with a haunting performance by Kevin Bacon

[DeuceWild_77 · 7/10 · 3 June 2019]

James Wan ("Saw", "Dead Silence", "The Conjuring") taking on the 'vigilante' film genre, adapted from Brian Garfield's novel (the same author of one of the best Charles Bronson's vehicles, "Death Wish") delivers a dark, grim & gritty film, about an upper class 'all american dad', Nicholas Hume (played by Kevin Bacon), married to a beautiful middle-aged housewife, Helen (Kelly Preston, the former 80's bombshell from "Mischief", "Secret Admirer" & "Twins", now the respectable Mrs. John Travolta) and proudly father of two teenage boys, Brendan (Stuart Lafferty) & Lucas (Jordan Garrett). All the harmony suddenly changes when his older son is merciless killed during a gas station robbery by a young 'prospect' trying to enter in a vicious street gang.

Nonconformist about the way that law acts in the courtroom, Nick follows the young criminal and makes justice by his own hands, starting a private war in the proccess, unaware that his victim was in fact the younger, protected brother of the gang leader, Billy Darley (Garrett Hedlund) who delivers to the Hume family a "Death Sentence"...

Frantically edited, professionally photographed (using pale and monotonous colors to enhance desperation and doom) and directed, including a well staged pursuit sequence of the Darley's gang to Hume, "Death Sentence" is a raw and violent film that pays homage to the 70's grindhouse films of this genre and even the mainstream ones like Scorsese's "Taxi Driver".

The script by Ian Mackenzie Jeffers, that deviates from the source novel, could have been better developed, showing more of the psychologic aspects of it and less of people shooting each others, but Wan's goal was simply the visual impact of delivering more creative ways to stage violent scenes on-screen and trying not to be a carbon copy of "Death Wish", since both stories are too similar in actions, atmosphere and in tone.

In acting terms, Kevin Bacon delivers a brilliant / haunting performance in the main role, perhaps even one of his best ever (tied with "Murder in the First", "Sleepers" and "The Woodsman) with commited supporting performances from Kelly Preston (the hospital scene is very well acted and a highlight of the film due to its realism); the relentless Garrett Hedlund who is so despicable that makes the viewer side-by-side with Bacon's acts of vigilantism & John Goodman, in a short appearance, but remarkable as the sleazy arms' dealer. Leigh Whannell became the Dean Devlin of Roland Emmerich to James Wan's films, a kinda of third wheel, that is in there just because he's best friends with the director. Aisha Tyler is also good as the female police detective, but her character went nowhere and was just there to the sake of the movie having an astute cop (except on her questionable actions), following the conventions of the 'vigilante' genre.

In short, "Death Sentence" even if it's nothing sort of new (since "Death Wish" that dozens of films tried to expand the genre), is still an above average 'vigilante' / crime / thriller film that should please the fans.

I give it a 7,5 (close to 8) !!

One Hell Of A Ride!

[Arenarocker05 · 9/10 · 8 July 2008]

Director James Wan has yet again made another successful film, only this time he focus's on an action perspective rather than a horror selection. The story centers on the life of Nick Hume (Kevin Bacon), a respectable father and husband whose life gets turned around when a vicious gang brutally murders his son. Now he is on the rampage and decides to take justice into his own hands, no matter what the circumstances hold before him.

I really enjoyed the first "Saw" very much and thought it was incredibly well-made. However I thought the idea of James Wan making an action thriller was questionable. I was proved wrong after I saw this film. Kevin Bacon gives another grueling performance with some new raw material under his belt. The action is this film was very surprising and extremely entertaining to watch minute after minute. It was also entertaining to see John Goodman play a disgruntled arms dealer with a bad attitude. That was fun to watch. Overall this film delivers what the title promises: A Death Sentence. Trust me when I say this; this movie is one hell of a ride! Enjoy!

Film as punishment

[chaos-rampant · 5 August 2011]

This is one of the worst films I know of. It came up on TV last night and me and my girlfriend sat through in dumbfounded amazement. We actually put off the Kusturica we were going to see, so trasfixed and entertained were we. The count of inept filmmaking:

• drab, ugly aesthetic in the name of 'stark realism', yet applied to

• the most cartoonish fictional universe since the Death Wish sequels. Laughable cutouts of 'street punks' make up the disposable fodder of utter, contemptuous evil. They strike poses of meanness, and exclusively populate seedy areas lit like a set-piece from a glossy horror movie.

• crushingly cheap symbolism. The setting for the final, furious vengeance is across 'Stygian street'. Crosses abound, in all the wrong places. A protagonist who, as usual in these revenge films, becomes what he despised - we see him drive the muscle car, the new haircut that makes him look like one of them. In the penultimate scene, his opponent actually tells him 'you're one of us'! How condescending to any audience that paid even the smallest attention.

• now and then, a snappy montage or song in the soundtrack will obviously punctuate the emotional momentum. Further retreat from the flimsy facsimile of 'realism' into the shallowness of music video.

Null and void stuff, purporting some important insight into the human condition. Watch, instead, Dead Man's Shoes with Paddy Considine if you're in the mood for this kind of thing; it's not great but at least it's by the hand of an actual filmmaker.

Not Bad

[newfiesailor · 7/10 · 31 August 2007]

Watching the first 15 minutes of this movie gave me that uh-oh feeling of: I just paid money for this. Seemed pretty cheesy and too sweet and cliché as we are introduced to the family. Acting wasn't too hot by Bacon either as Kelly Preston upstages him in every scene. Kind of knowing what was coming allowed me to bear through it.

When it got going though, the movie started rolling pretty good. Lots of no holds barred fights with blood and bone, gunshot blasts and vicious stabbings. Great scene in the underground garage that was the highlight of the film. Hard to believe undernourished Bacon could portray a man on the warpath well, but he dished it out pretty good. I was actually kind of shocked in some of the scenes with the pure nastiness, but it is a vigilante movie.

This movie borrows a lot of material from other sources: Dirty Harry, Max Payne, Death Wish and some scenes straight out of Taxi Driver. But it worked. If you are into ultra violent flicks with weak plot line, little emotion and brain splattering gore, then this is your end of the summer Christmas gift. Pretty good for what it is.

You Gotta Be Kidding Me!

[awvidmer · 1/10 · 21 September 2007]

As I write this, Death Sentence has been rated a 7.1 by the IMDb community.

I can only assume that these people have never seen the far superior (and original, in its time) Death Wish series, or even The Brave One for that matter.

C'mon, people!

Every single beat of the script is as predictable as it is stupid, with plot holes that make you want to gnaw the arms off the theater seats.

After getting the "Death Sentence," Bacon stays with his family in his house wielding only a baseball bat? Ever heard of a well-timed vacation in, say, Argentina? Or even the neighbor's house?

The cops, knowing how vile and dangerous the bad guy is, send only two inattentive, donut- eaters for protection?

Bacon can't load a gun but turns into Jason Bourne when he goes to get revenge?

John Goodman lets Bacon go to kill Goodman's son, yet goes there to warn him anyway (and gets shot for it)?

And when the plot holes aren't grinding on you, there's always another inane, cliché line waiting to smack you in the face:

"If you started a war with Billy Darby, god help you."

"Which one of these guns you want?" "I'll take 'em all."

Unfortunately, it's not quite bad enough to be campy in a William Shatner sort of way. It just leaves you embarrassed for Kevin and Kelly.

Luckily for them, I expect everybody will forget about this one fairly quickly. Like two steps out the theater door.

Well Done!

[ejco215 · 9/10 · 3 November 2007]

This movie surprised me. I expected something over acted and plot less. Boy was I wrong. This movie was really good. They show the reality of things that do happen. Kevin Bacon gave a good performance along with Kelly Preston. The Action was good. The violence was brutal and done in a realistic fashion. The language was also heavy and use in every sentence. The only problem with me is that the gang members were a little over done. I think they were kind of over the top including all the tattoos and what not. But besides that the movie was fun and intense.

9/10

Good escapist effort.

[Chimera-5 · 7/10 · 2 September 2007]

I've seen a few reviews be negative or mediocre and say "it's been done before", but I'm sure these are the same people that give films like Superbad a 10 and say things like "OmG fuNnIeSt MoViE eVeR!". Well guys, a comedy about some underachieving Caucasian guys with bad haircuts trying to get laid has "been done before", to death, in fact. I can't even think about a comedy in the last several years that doesn't have this factor at the central core of it, except sometimes the protagonists are not Caucasians or they happen to be fictional athletes or celebrities yet still pursuing women provides a huge part (if not the only part) of the story. So it's funny how much hypocrisy can thrive on IMDb.

This movie is nothing new or shiny. Yes, it's "just another" revenge flick. But hey, they are fewer and far between in these so-called "sensitive times" of force-fed diversity, political correctness, and overall pussyfooting through life. It's a mean and insensitive film and it was a pleasure to watch. I ever read some subtle hints at class warfare in this. I will say that the shameless plug for Saw (you'll know it when you see it) was pretty silly, but Hollywood is as shameless as they come, after all. Sit back and enjoy. You won't leave the theater smarter, but a lot more satisfied that watching another boy-chases-girl happy ending comedy with cheap sex and bodily functions jokes that are a dime a dozen these days.

$hit Sentence* (spoilers)

[K_Antivenin · 1/10 · 20 December 2007]

(*Respect to Spinal Tap's Shark Sandwich.) First off, I love me some revenge films.

From the masterful (Park Chan-Wook's vengeance trilogy, Straw Dogs, or Dead Man's Shoes) to the brutal (I Spit on Your Grave or Thriller: En Grym Film), there is no genre that does it for me quite like revenge. So when I first heard about Death Sentence, I figured it'd be worth a viewing: Kevin Bacon, murdered child, director of Saw, I expected it to be at least passable.

Well, I humbly stand corrected. I'm pretty sure if you are someone defending/championing this movie, you are either a) semi-retarded, or b) you need to see a real revenge movie. Everything about this POS is so blatantly one-dimensional that I'm amazed it doesn't slide off the celluloid it was filmed on...

The victim's family doesn't seem THAT upset that their son was murdered, there's no real passion about anything - it's all just very go-with-the-flow. The courtroom scene is pure comedy gold, with the 97-pound-weakling 'killer' smirking and leering at a pretty-much-nonplussed Kevin Bacon. Bacon's character, Nick Hume, doesn't appear too tortured about losing his 'golden boy' (okay, he sobs in the shower once) , and the murder of his son's killer seems almost spur-of-the-moment.

As for the thugs, they're all hilarious - a bunch of didn't-quite-make-the-cut extras from a circa-1997 nü-metal video shoot and should be filed under 'outdated badass' at Central Casting Come on, tribal tattoos and facial piercings!? What are they, a MySpace 'gang' who still listen to bands like Staind or Disturbd, or some other group of no-talents who can't spell, either? And look, there's Johnny Goodman! Just a day or two before seeing this I was thinking to myself, 'Why haven't I seen John Goodman in anything good lately?' I guess now I know why, he's way too busy making turkeys like this. The one-liners aren't clever, not even in a juvenile way, and one line of dialogue, ("Fear is for the enemy. Fear and bullets.") is ripped almost word-for-word from James O'Barr's The Crow (another epic revenge story turned into a lousy movie).

As for the acting? Kevin Bacon is the only one who almost pulls it off, but only almost.

Kelly Preston? Obviously not, she can't even act like Travolta isn't gay.

Goodman? Nope. Sorry.

Garrett 'You-just-bought-your-family-a-death-sentence!' Hedlund? Hey, if I wanted to see a goth kid have a temper tantrum, I'd just e-mail Weston Cage that Little Debbie's had gone out of business , or that there was now a worldwide shortage of blue-black hair dye….

I digress - you know how certain foreign markets tend to eat up some movies better than the film's own home country does? Well, apparently my fellow Canadians love this movie because it has so many references to their national excuse, hockey. The murdered son (the one Nick Hume actually likes) is a hockey player and wants to go to Canada, and we see a cop picking up a broken hockey stick at a crime scene, after Hume has killed one of the 'gang' members. I counted at least 3 or 4 references to hockey in this movie, and I heard the movie was intended to be released here under the name Sudden Death Sentence, Eh? Back to the topic at hand – this movie sucked. The bad guys get off way too easily, same as in every other revenge movie. Nobody's cracked it yet – the revenge film that goes all the way. We don't even get to see Nick Hume waste Billy Darley in this movie. All that time wasted and there's not even a bloody payoff for the audience. What a waste of 110 minutes. James Wan, whose first Saw film was at least memorable, has dropped the ball horribly. He should instead stick to casting winners like Donnie Wahlberg in his movies and coming up with cheesy gross-outs like the needle pit in Saw II. Truly, the only death sentence in this cinematic abortion is the viewer's own – knowing that they are now 110 wasted minutes closer to their own demise.

Enjoy!