ViewGuide

Created Jan 30, 2008 03:13PM PST • Edited Jan 30, 2008 03:13PM PST

1. Quality

2. Summary

   Perfect 5.0

   On a way home from a hockey game, Nick Hume (Kevin Bacon) and his eldest son Brendan (Stuart Lafferty) meet the Darley gang led by Billy Darley (Garrett Hedlund) when they stop at a gas station. During some gang initation, Brendan is killed and leaves their newest gang member [and Brendan’s killer] behind. They also leave Nick alive, making him a witness to a crime. However, justice wasn’t gonna punish Brendan’s killer too harshly, causing Nick to refuse testifying against him. Dissatisfied with the law, Nick decides to take the law into his own hands and murders the gang member who killed his son. This sets up a war between Nick and the Darley gang, making things more violent and deadly for Nick and the rest of his surviving family.

4. Acting

   Really Great 4.5

   Kevin Bacon is great in anything he does and DEATH SENTENCE is no exception. You really feel his pain when he loses his favorite son and you understand how that could drive him to do what he does to the people responsible. I was definitely touched by his performance. Kelly Preston has a lesser part as Nick’s wife but she hit all the emotional notes. Garrett Hedlund convinced me as a stone-cold killer. You had no idea how much I wanted Nick to hurt him. John Goodman was great as Billy’s father and gun dealer. However, Aisha Tyler should never play a police detective again. She seemed bored and her character sucked anyway.

5. Male Stars Perfect 5.0

6. Female Stars Perfect 5.0

7. Female Costars Really Great 4.5

8. Male Costars Perfect 5.0

10. Film

    Perfect 5.0

11. Direction Perfect 5.0

    James Wan did very good with the material. I could have done without the massive SAW references but I enjoyed his visual style. He gave the film a raw energy it needed with his crazy angles and editing. I also enjoyed the lighter moments as well. Probably Wan’s best directed film to date.

12. Play Perfect 5.0

    Totally convinced by the words that were spoken. No complaints in this department.

13. Music Perfect 5.0

    Great soundtrack. Very aggressive, haunting, and modern. Wouldn’t mind buying the soundtrack for this.

14. Visuals Perfect 5.0
15. Content

16. Edge

    Sordid 3.5

    No sex but tons of blood, gore, and violence. Add foul language to the mix and you got yourselves an R rated film worthy of its rating.

17. Sex Innocent 1.0

18. Violence Monstrous 5.0

19. Rudeness Nasty 4.4

21. Reality

    Natural 1.0

    It could happen, who knows? I know if someone killed my son, I’d want revenge too. Would I get through this extent? I don’t know. But I’m sure some people have done stuff like this in reality.

22. Circumstantial Natural 1.0

23. Biological Natural 1.0

24. Physical Natural 1.0