Sentença de Morte

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

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.

I've been debating about how to review this film...and you know what? I'll keep it as lean and focused as "Death Sentence" was. I got to view some fine film-making, expertly acted and directed. Bacon has always been an actor whose dives head-first into difficult roles, and this one covers a wide range of emotions...from family concern and love to grief to rage to fear to finally cold machine-like calm. I was particularly impressed with James Wan, who really raised his game to A-list level, easily creating moments of drama, action and suspense. His skill gave the film moments of real entertainment, because the plot was not...it's bleak and brutal, and hardly ever lets up...but like Rob Zombie's "The Devil's Rejects" or William Friedkin's "Bug", the film will stay with me for a long time.

Loved the premise and characters, i found the shootouts and chases well done, Kevin Bacon totally gives off the perfect performance as Max Payne but as a different character, but the only criticism is the amount of gang members, i wanted just more so we can see what Nick's got in store for the rest of the gang fully. With the amount of stuff James Wan can do nicely that is also a revenge film hell even the actual Max Payne movie could not ever do or give what this movie gave me, yet with smartness Nick Humes got, he should be part as one of the greatest characters in revenge films totally a great adaptation for the author.

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.