Death Sentence - DVD Review

My wife and I watched "Death Sentence" earlier this week. I remember it piquing my interest when it first came out, but never really had the chance to see it when it was in theaters. Nick Hume (Kevin Bacon), is an assistant VP at a Fortune 500 company with a McMansion in the 'burbs, a beautiful wife Helen (the always delightful Kelly Preston), and two perfect sons Brendan and Lucas. His whole world is shattered when his oldest son, Brendan, is killed during a botched holdup at an inner city gas station. Numbness turns to grief, grief to resolve, resolve to action. When faced with the reality of his son's killer, Joe (Matt O'Leary) getting off by working the system, Nick refuses to testify at trial. After trailing Joe home, Nick returns that night to confront him, and accidentally sparks a war with Joe's gang, which is run by his older brother, Billy (Garret Hedlund). When I heard that this movie was directed by the same guy who did the "Saw" movies, I was worried. I've never seen any of the "Saw" movies, and torture porn doesn't really do much for me. However, I was willing to give it a chance, since Kevin Bacon is an actor who can transcend whatever role is sent his way. The shooting of the movie is very close and personal, and the way the camera ducks and weaves, at times it almost feels as if you are personally accompanying Nick, instead of just observing him. The parking garage scene is a perfect example of the camera work. The cinematography is excellent, and the contrasts between the bright, plastic, pre-packaged world of Nick, and the dark, gritty, urban settings that Joe and his gang haunt are very marked, and really help to set the tone. At its core, "Death Sentence" is a revenge film. Revenge movies tend to resonate with audiences because of the strength of the emotion when it comes to the human animal. The problem with revenge movies is that they can come across as just plain mean spirited in the wrong hands. Chuck Jones had a rule for his pictures: Bugs Bunny had to be provoked. Otherwise he was just a sadistic jerk. That's why we love Bugs Bunny - he never starts the fight, but by god he will finish it. This movie hits on multiple levels: the death of the prodigal son, the need to avenge a pointless death, the need to prove one's self a man in a society that has completely removed coming-of-age rituals. In the end though, it all comes down to making the bad people pay. The story starts in black and white contrast, but slides into gray very quickly. The acting is top notch all around, and John Goodman's portrayal of 'Bones' is truly chilling. Garret Hedlund's portrayal of Billy Darly is also very strong, and former host of E's "The Soup" Aisha Tyler turns in a great performance as Detective Wallis. If you're a fan of thrillers, action movies, or revenge flicks, this movie will be right up your alley. As I watched it I was put in mind of "The Salton Sea," and "Old Boy." If you're familiar with those movies, then you know that's high praise indeed. About Author Randall McNally is the pseudonym for an extremely private heavy metal fan from the Midwest region of the United States of America. Randall is the webmaster of the website Reverb Madness, and shares his thoughts on everything else at his blog Fascination Street. Source: ArticleTrader.com

 

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