It’s September, which means it’s time for the kids to go back to school, time for the leaves to change color, and time for the vengeful vigilantes to come out and play. Death Sentence is a movie about an ordinary man (Kevin Bacon) who is pushed to limits when he exacts revenge on the gang members who killed his son. It is also the third directorial effort by the young James Wan. (The man who brought us the original SAW and the abysmal Dead Silence) After Dead Silence, I wasn’t so sure if I wanted to go out and spend money on yet another one of his movies in theatres, but after watching Death Sentence I can honestly say that James Wan is on the way to making a great film….he’s just not quite there yet.
THE GOOD:
Two Words. Kevin f*cking Bacon. (Oops! I guess that’s three.) Without the strong presence of such a great actor, Death Sentence would have lost my interest very early on. I felt the unbelievable sadness he carried with him because of the loss of his son, and I felt the uncontrollable rage he let out on the gang members. I was rooting for him, and I wanted the gang members to suffer.
Also, an almost unrecognizable Garrett Hedlund (from Troy and Four Brothers) played a very convincing villain as the gang’s leader. Sure his performance was a bit over the top, (as were most of the performances) but it was perfect for what this movie was trying to be; a gritty throwback grindhouse film.
This movie also has one of the best chase sequences I have EVER seen onscreen. It’s intense and incredibly effective as it is all done in one uninterrupted shot. This scene (as well as its engaging parking lot showdown) will definitely be something Wan will be praised for, for years to come.
THE BAD:
Death Sentence was entertaining for the first two thirds of the movie, but then it made a dramatic turn in the last half hour that made me want to get up and leave the theatre immediately.
After the initial shock, I tried to give the rest of the movie the benefit of the doubt, but it just got worse as it become more over the top and cheesier by the second.
In my opinion, what made the first hour of the film so good was that the audience could actually relate to Nick Hume’s (Kevin Bacon) character and to his awful situation. It’s believable that he would be able to push himself to the limit to avenge and protect his family. But then to make his character rapidly transform into a modern day Rambo in the last half hour was just pushing it. (I can only suspend my disbelief so far.)
Also, because Kevin Bacon is such a great actor, he managed to play the role straight even through the corny and over the top last act. This caused many unintentional laughs in the audience.
Now keep in mind, I wouldn’t be complaining about any of the cons in Death Sentence if it actually was a full-blown throwback to the 80’s vigilante genre. The problem is the film tries to be something so much more than it should be. The tone of the film always changed and it sent me on a tailspin of emotions. It was In The Bedroom meets Death Wish, and the combination does NOT mesh well.
OVERALL:
Death Sentence kicks off with a bang and ends with a whimper due to its lack luster finale. Now don’t get me wrong, I found it very entertaining, (especially the kills) but at the end I was disappointed. Not because the movie sucked, (because it’s far better than the crap I had to endure through this summer) but because it had the potential from being a mediocre film to being a great film. It’s definitely one to catch on DVD, and it’s also definitely an improvement for up and coming director, James Wan. I give this film a rating of 6.5 out of 10
