User reviews

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.

In a 1975 interview with Wayne Warga, Charles Bronson stated that he felt miscast as vigilante Paul Kersey in Michael Winner's 'Death Wish,' saying that the role "would have been better for Dustin Hoffman or somebody who could play a weaker kind of man." Author Brian Garfield- who wrote the novel Winner's film was based on- agreed, remarking that Bronson's tough-guy image spoiled the film, as the moment he appeared on screen "you knew he was going to start blowing people away."

Whether or not one agrees with the claims that a more timorous actor would be better suited for the part of Paul Kersey (Eli Roth certainly didn't, considering he cast Bruce Willis in the role for his 2018 remake) it must be admitted that the character Bronson plays is unlike Garfield's unprepossessing, reluctant vigilante.

Similarly, the whole film contrasts sharply with its source material, upsetting Garfield greatly. He felt appalled that audiences were encouraged by the film's violence and vigilantism, despite decrying both topics in his book. He felt that Winner "made a hero out of him. I thought I'd shown that he'd become a very sick man." He was compelled to write a sequel, 'Death Sentence,' that would act as a clear indictment of violence in all its forms, which was not the basis for 'Death Wish II', or any of the other Bronson-led films in the franchise.

In 2007, this was adapted for screen by James Wan. Very, very loosely based on Garfield's novel, 'Death Sentence' centres on Nick Hume, an insurance company executive. He lives the perfect life, happily married with two sons. One day, Nick witnesses his older son being shot dead during an apparent robbery. Determined to find justice, he hunts down the men responsible, though his actions threaten to destroy what little family he has left.

It is an entertaining action thriller, that doesn't break any new ground, though is engaging and has some thematic depth. Although not exactly a paragon of anti-vigilantism, Wan's film is closer in tone- and in themes- to Garfield's novels than Winner's. Unlike Bronson's Paul Kersey, who becomes a symbol of vigilante justice, Nick Hume's journey is portrayed with a raw emotional intensity, highlighting the personal cost of his actions.

Furthermore, the film raises questions about the cycle of violence and whether true justice can ever be achieved through revenge. It touches on the idea of violence as a dehumanising force, stripping people of compassion and perpetuating suffering. Through its exploration of these themes- although concerned with different events and following a differently named character- the film is a faithful adaptation of Garfield's novel.

However, while these ideas are initially explored in an interesting way, Wan doesn't make them the forefront of the narrative. Moreover, the further it goes on, the more straightforward the film becomes. It loses its complexity- as well as its nuanced approach to the idea of vigilantism. By the last act, the interesting themes and notions are all but abandoned, and the film- for all intents and purposes- is exactly like Winner's, just lacking Charles Bronson.

Conversely, Wan and director of photography John R. Leonetti's stark cinematography contributes significantly to the grittiness of the narrative, as does their adoption of a muted colour palette. Their usage of close-ups and tracking shots effectively creates tension, while their utilisation of lighting and shadows is atmospheric. They capture both drama and action with equal aplomb- a lengthy chase scene going from a street, through alleyways and onto the roof of a car park being most notable.

The film's action and violence are realistic and expertly choreographed, although some moments- especially in the last act- feel a bit comic-booky. Despite that, it remains a pulse-pounding, often frenetic affair, well-edited by Michael N. Knue. Additionally, Charlie Clouser's score compounds the film's emotional impact, as well as its tension, and the production design is generally commendable.

The ever-versatile Kevin Bacon stars as Nick Hume, and is terrific, astutely portraying his struggles and evolution over the course of the film. Whether grieving the loss of his son, grappling with acts of violence or contemplating multiple murders, Bacon is totally credible, making Hume a compelling character. Even in its weakest moments, he shines. Carrying the film squarely on his shoulders, Bacon never sets a foot wrong.

Opposite him, Garrett Hedlund does strong work as the contemptible villain Billy Darley, playing him with a winning blend of menace and sleaze. John Goodman does typically fine work as the seedy Bones Darley, an arms dealer and Billy's father. Additionally, Aisha Tyler brings a steady resolve to the underwritten part of Detective Wallis, while Kelly Preston is great, though underutilised, in the all-too-small role of Helen, Nick's wife.

In short, although perhaps not as consistently anti-violence as Brian Garfield would have liked, James Wan's 'Death Sentence' is still a solid piece of work. Boasting fine cinematography and well-choreographed action, as well as strong performances, it is quite entertaining. Despite some underwritten supporting characters, and a comparatively straightforward and weak third act, there is plenty of life in 'Death Sentence'.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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) !!

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.

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.