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Score: 6/10 (Decent!)
Bottom Line: Save Your Money
To-The-Point: Slightly melodramatic and unrealistic, Death Sentence is a standard revenge flick frequently interrupted with vicious brutality and explosive gore. Although it tries to force a message about preventing violence, it is lost admist wooden dialogue, unbelievable situations, and an uneven tone. Despite all of this, it still manages to provide some animalistic thrills through several lengthy action scenes.
Complete Truth: A stunning triumph in modern cinema, Death Sentence is a heart-warming romantic comedy about one man's quest to reunite with his family while discovering the true power of love, faith, and hope.
Just kidding.
Rather, Death Sentence is a typical revenge flick filled with cliches, packed with unrealistic moments, and brimming with more gruesome brutality than a horror film. What else would you expect from the director of Saw?
Nick Hume (Kevin Bacon) is a successful white-collar businessman with a loving wife, Helen (Kelly Preston), and two proud sons, Brendan (Stuart Lafferty) and Lucas (Jordan Garrett). One night, as Nick drives Brendan home from a hockey game in the city, they become involved in a gas station robbery that leaves Brendan dead and Nick's life in ruins.
Nick identifies the killer as Joe Darley (Matt O'Leary), a local thug who actually killed Brendan as part of a gang initiation, but Nick soon discovers that a lack of evidence will result in a maximum sentence of only a few years. Instead, Nick allows Joe to be released with no charges against him - only so he may wage a vengeful one-man war against Joe and his gang, attempting to take matters into his own hands and achieve justice outside the legal system. What follows is an escalating conflict between Nick and the gang, led by psychotic Billy Darley (Garrett Hedlund), where each follows the mantra of 'an eye for an eye' using guns supplied by crime boss Bones Darley (John Goodman).
Although Death Sentence is an overdone revenge story told through the eyes of generic stereotypes, it actually has a good reason to: this film is based on Brian Garfield's novel "Death Sentence," which was a sequel to "Death Wish" - a novel adapted into the classic film starring Charles Bronson that created the template for all revenge films to follow. Death Sentence makes sure to follow this established formula, resulting in a familiar retread of material that only differs through its gruesome display of slit throats, exploding heads, and blood-splattering gun shots.
As Death Sentence begins, an overwhelming sense of dread pervades the film with the knowledge that something terrible must happen to Nick's idyllic family. While the plot slowly unravels, Death Sentence manages to keep its situations in the realm of reality despite an overabundance of sentimental melodrama and cliched characters. Once the action intensifies, however, the harsh tone loses its impact as John Goodman overacts in a comedic role, plot holes appear at an alarming rate, and our once-normal hero becomes a Rambo-esque killing machine. Death Sentence wildly veers from sappy drama into goofy slapstick while becoming a violent thriller.
What do you call a pissed-off killing machine played by Kevin Bacon? The Baconator.
What prevents Death Sentence from becoming a memorable revenge story is its underwhelming and unambitious screenplay. Between the few action-packed scenes, there are lengthy stretches of wooden dialogue punctuated by fleeting moments of wittiness, featuring such gems as, "Everybody thinks they're right in a war, but everybody dies in the end." These brief quotes are mainly to support a theme woven throughout the script - that violence begets more violence, and vengeance is a never-ending spiral into hatred and sacrifice - but this commentary is inefficient within a film that revels in much inexcusable blood-soaked carnage and characters that support murder with lines such as, "Any one of these guns is bound to make you feel better about what's bothering you."
Another flawed aspect of the screenplay are the constant plot holes and "movie moments," where the audience's intelligence is insulted by unrealistic actions that diminish the believability of the film. There are simply too many questions raised with no suitable answers: why is it that nobody except our main characters (i.e. general public, police, neighbors, etc.) can hear the constant shoot-outs, car crashes, and chases? How can our mild-mannered businessman have better accuracy with guns than an entire gang? Since when do people survive for hours after being shot directly in the neck?
The most obvious flaw is the apathetic police department led by Detective Wallis (Aisha Tyler, also in Balls of Fury this week), where their ignorance leads to many more questions: shouldn't the police search for an escaped suspect in his own home? Why does Wallis keep such a close eye on Nick when the gang has just brutally slaughtered two police officers? How can a person confess to murder yet avoid any charges?
But all is not lost for Death Sentence, as the few action scenes presented are rather lengthy affairs featuring impressive camerawork, inventive fights, and several cheer-inducing moments. James Wan displays some real skills as he directs chaotic situations, including a spectacular on-foot chase through alleys, up a parking garage, and eventually culminating in a tense fistfight within a moving car. Wan manages to cram and fly the camera into impossible places, capturing a raw intensity that not only follows the action - it dives into the action.
Another distinct aspect that elevates Death Sentence above other standard revenge films is Wan's ability to meld aspects of the horror genre into the action. Sure, the obvious horror influences are the many slasher-esque murders (involving slit throats, stabbings, and crushings), but the real genius is the manner in which Wan stages fights in typical horror locations. From run-down churches to a thrilling shoot-out through an abandoned hospital, Wan utilizes his previous experience with Saw and Dead Silence to build suspense until the bloody conclusion.
If Wan had requested a screenplay rewrite, Death Sentence could've been a breakout action hit that redefined the revenge genre. Instead, we're left with a few exciting moments that hint at something greater, but unfortunately succumb to weak dialogue, unrealistic plot twists, and a fluctuating tone.
And mediocrity is the worst death sentence of them all.
Side Note: Be on the lookout for a cameo appearance from everybody's favorite puppet-on-a-tricycle from the Saw films.
Who knew a simple traffic violation could get so intense?
Death Sentence, a 20th Century Fox release, is rated R for "strong, bloody, brutal violence and pervasive language."
Total running time is 110 minutes.
Starring Kevin Bacon, Garrett Hedlund, Kelly Preston, Aisha Tyler, and John Goodman. Screenplay by Ian Mackenzie Jeffers, based on the novel by Brian Garfield. Directed by James Wan.
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