Upon seeing the previews to the 2007 thriller-drama, Death Sentence, my first impression was that this was the updated, male version of the Sally Field movie, 'Eye for an Eye' in which an average suburban woman avenges her teenage daughter's murderer. Here, Kevin Bacon plays the seemingly happy-go-lucky husband and father of two. One night, while driving home, his eldest son becomes the victim of a gang initiation. Because the District Attorney has little concrete evidence for a strong case against the killer, who is promised to serve at least a three to five year term, the grieving father decides to take matters into his own hands. Yet, his actions set off a gang war from which he now must defend both himself and his family.
This movie is much more effective than the standard revenge thriller as it promises plenty of action and even, in Bacon's transformation from white collar risk-management analyst and happy suburbanite to something of a fast-thinking, quick-shooting gritty gangster, it sustains an air of "cool" which goes well beyond movies like 'Eye for an Eye,' 'Man on Fire' or 'In the Bedroom' (though the latter is arguably outside of this action-packed genre) in terms of sustaining interest as he tracks down his adversaries, culminating of course in the ultimate showdown. The film maintains its steady pacing and delivers to audiences not just the elements of drama, but enough juicy action sequences (and a cherry chase scene) throughout the film to the point that the atmosphere of the finale stands in stark contrast to the opening of the film. Moreover, it presents a story that doesn't press black and white morality, but instead, leaves for plenty of gray area. Bacon is neither the clean hero and even the gangsters are sometimes glorified. It also helps that the cast give terrific performances.
This movie is much more effective than the standard revenge thriller as it promises plenty of action and even, in Bacon's transformation from white collar risk-management analyst and happy suburbanite to something of a fast-thinking, quick-shooting gritty gangster, it sustains an air of "cool" which goes well beyond movies like 'Eye for an Eye,' 'Man on Fire' or 'In the Bedroom' (though the latter is arguably outside of this action-packed genre) in terms of sustaining interest as he tracks down his adversaries, culminating of course in the ultimate showdown. The film maintains its steady pacing and delivers to audiences not just the elements of drama, but enough juicy action sequences (and a cherry chase scene) throughout the film to the point that the atmosphere of the finale stands in stark contrast to the opening of the film. Moreover, it presents a story that doesn't press black and white morality, but instead, leaves for plenty of gray area. Bacon is neither the clean hero and even the gangsters are sometimes glorified. It also helps that the cast give terrific performances.