Death Sentence (2008, DVD)

Thirty-Three Years Ago, Charles Bronson made 'Violent Revenge' fashionable; taking to the streets of New York to avenge a horrible crime in 'Death Wish'.
It is back to those 'Bad Old Ways/Days' with 'Death Sentence'. A tale based upon the novel written by Brian Garfield; (whose other novel inspired 'Death Wish'). Directed by 'Saw's' James Wan; starring Kevin Bacon as a suburban white-collar Dad pushed past the limits of reason in a taut, visceral, and unapologetic portrait of brutality. It is an ugly movie; (a compliment given that it has an ugly story to tell).
Wan effectively sketches in the Hume Family dynamic in an opening montage of home videos ending at New Year's in the Present Day. The biggest conflict in the household is the sibling rivalry between high school senior and hockey star Brendan (Stuart Lafferty) and 14-year-old, second-string soccer playing Lucas (Jordan Garrett).
A Risk Analyst Executive at an Insurance Firm, Nick (Bacon) has provided his boys and his wife Helen (Kelly Preston) with a comfortable life. All of that changes in an instant when Nick and Brendan stop for gas in a bad neighborhood one night and get caught in the middle of a gang initiation. Brendan dies.
For Nick, the idea that he failed as a father, that he could not protect his child, is almost as unbearable as the loss. Then he finds out that the killer would probably only serve a few years in Prison - max.
While he tells a co-worker dispassionately, sounding every inch the insurance man, "We compensate for our loss and move on," the reality is that he has become a man obsessed. He wants to get even and not just with the killer, but the killer's whole gang. What he sets in motion is something out of Shakespeare, as the gang itself is a family enterprise; lorded over ultimately by Crime Boss Bones Darley (John Goodman) and managed on the street by his eldest son Billy (Garrett Hedlund). And if Brendan was the natural born athlete in the Hume Family, Billy is the Natural Born Killer among the Darleys.
Wallis (Aisha Tyler), the Homicide Detective assigned to his case, warns Nick that if he seeks revenge, it cannot end well.
But that's kind of the point, isn't it?
He is "Everyman"; living through a Nightmare that could take place anywhere. While the film was shot in North Carolina, Wan takes great pains not to identify the location. Even license plates give no clue, just generic numbers with no state. There is a warning here; this is what happens to decent people when they stray too close to an urban milieu — it will reach out to harm you even if it has to track you into the haven of your suburban home.
It makes no concessions that good people live in even the worst neighborhoods and that bad people can live in good ones. The movie may be about revenge, but its true theme is paranoia.
Truly a tough story to view; with heartwrenching scenes to drench the violence in. Make some room 'Death Wish', this film is destined to sit aside you on the Classic Revenge Thriller Catharsis of the Everyman !!
Frankly, Bacon's Best-to-Date !!
5-Star Performances !!!!
** From the Makers of "SAW"; film-fans take close watch. In all films made by "SAW's" creators they slip in "Jigsaw". In "Dead Silence" (SEE MY REVIEW) the Jigsaw Puppet was in Mary Shaw's Lair as a doll against the wall; in "Death Sentence"; "Jigsaw" with the Red Circles Cheeks is Muraled on the Bridge where "Billy" (Garrett Hedlund) is selling drugs.
Hitchcock-Like Touch by Director James Wan !!

There was only one film Kevin Bacon is in that I love "Flatliners" now the count is up to 2..This film keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout...Film starts with a loving Family, a pretty Mom, a rich successful Dad and two Boys the oldest a would be Hockey pro and a young soccer star..Dad attends the oldest Boys Hockey game where he watches proudly as his Son helps his team win the game, he happily informs his Dad he wants to go to college in Canada..on their way home they encounter two strange looking cars racing! (gasp) They need to stop for gas..they find a dingy little gas station and the Son goes inside to buy a drink..in comes some street thugs they pull guns and knives one kills the clerk then orders another to kill the Boy he hesitates, but in the end he gets stupid and slits the boys throat..Daddy races to his sons side as the killer is struck by a car and injured he holds his dying Son in his arms and screams for help..fast forward Dad is appalled to find out the killer will only get a few years in prison he has a better idea..and that is where all hell break loose..sadly, there are gangs everywhere and in their warped thinking they believe the only way they will be seen as men is to do the cowardly thing and take a human life..in his quest for revenge Dad starts a violent cycle of hate that can only end one way..watch this flick and see how it ends you wont be disappointed!

I bought me the DVD , because in Germany come a rated version.
The Unrated version is many better .
I'm a SAW Fan and the movie is it from the makers this movie.
THank you for the read. marcnoss87

I LIKED THIS FILM BECAUSE IT SHOWS THAT EVERY CAUSE HAS IT CONSEQUENCES.KEVIN BACON IS EXCELLENT AS ALWAYS.ON THE MOVIE HIS FAMILY IS TOUCH BY CRIME AND HE DECIDES TO TAKE JUSTICE BY HIS OWN HANDS WITH FATAL ENDING.A MUST SEE MOVIE FOR ADULT AUDIENCE BECAUSE OF VIOLENT CONTENT.

GOOD MOVIE..THAT IS WHY I ORDERED IT..I DO NOT HAVE TIME TO WRITE 100 WORDS...GREAT! GREAT!!!! GREAT!!!!!!!!!!! GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!GREAT111111111111111111111111111111111111......GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

decent movie, but pretty morbid story line all around - probably want to find something more upbeat - kb does a good acting job for a tough story line

This is a awesome movie. Couldn't find it anywhere. Fast shipping. Movie is just as described. Decently priced and will shop with this seller again.

I bought the movie because it was filmed at my place of employment. It was exciting to she the halls that I walk through on the big screen.

I thought that being that the main character was suppose to be an educated, intelligent man made some bad choices.
1. He should have made his "hit" wearing dark "thug" clothing and not a suit.
2. He should have used a bicycle to ride to and from an "away" place to avoid his car being at the scene.
3. He should have picked a high capacity shotgun instead of a double barrel

Being that he was dealing with a gang, he should have waited about nine months(until they had pissed off a lot more people) before going after him. Then the gang may have thought that it was another gang retaliating.

i like thrillers this movie was a great movie reminded me of death wish,if you want a movie to watch that is great you got to get this movie

action, could end in other ways,like the action, Didnt like the not reasoning thing out, just taking action, or not checking on family often. Told it was good movie to see.

I love the whole transaction, went very smooth and the product was great as well. Other then that very good business

This movie really kicks it. We love this movie. It made me cry when they killed his family. It is a sad movie, action, it have it all in this movie. Well the people who made saw made this movie so that is why i bought it because we love the saw movies but saw 4 kicks it to it was the best of it all. This movie is worth every penny you spend on this movie. Any body should buy this movie. Kevin Bacon gives it his best in this one. This is the best we have seen of him in a movie. So buy it. You would love it.

This movie is worth buying!!!! It's got great acting throughout the whole movie and the plot is so intense you are sitting and not moving until the movie is over. I would recommend this movie to anyone it's that good.

When I saw the previews, I knew I had to have this movie. It keeps you interested throughout the whole movie. A movie you can watch over and over.

A good movie with a premise very similar to the Punisher (the Thomas Jane one, not the Dolph Lundgren one). Normal family, tragedy strikes and man gets angry and fights back. You've seen it before, but, not with Kevin Bacon. The villains are a little stereotypical, but this movie's intent is not to win an Oscar. Definitely a movie that will eventually come to the USA network. I'd give it a 3 out of 5 possible stars.

The most Wow!! Dvd action packed movie I've ever seen! If you like action packed movies, you gotta have this one!!

We saw this at the theatre and wanted to see it again. Extremely intense believable movie! Kevin Bacon is awesome in it. A must see!

The movie was pretty good. Decent plot. Decent Acting. Great Action. High Drama and Suspence. Very unrealistic fighting. For Example, people getting their heads slammed between car doors and acting like nothing ever happened. All in all, Decent Movie.

...Death Sentence is a gripping revenge thriller loaded with in-your-face action, bone-snapping violence, and nail-biting suspense!

This film utilizes the typical revenge plot; i.e., a law abiding white-collar executive/family man with the perfect wife and/or kid(s) has member(s) of his family murdered by street thugs. After obviously receiving no justice in court or any help from the less than empathetic police detective(s), and without any prior weapons training/knowledge, he then goes on a one-man rampage and single-handedly 'takes-out' the 'bad guys' throughout the rest of the film.

Synopsis:

Kevin Bacon stars as (Nick Hume) an upper-class business executive with the perfect family, until his eldest son is brutally murdered during a gang initiation act staged as a gas station robbery. In the style of 'Death Wish', transformed by grief and dissatisfied with courtroom justice and police, Nick takes the law into his own hands waging his personal revenge upon the perpetrator, as well as upon another of the perp's fellow street thugs. Upon doing so, Nick infuriates the gang leader (played by Garrett Hedlund) who leads his gang to take retaliatory revenge upon Nick, Nick's wife, and their youngest son...leaving all three of them for dead. Miraculously, Nick survives the brutal home invasion and regains consciousness in the hospital. While still in protective custody and with a bullet wound in his chest, Nick escapes through a hospital window, purchases his arsenal from a underground weapons dealer (played by John Goodman), and then proceeds to finish where he had left off - to eliminate the rest of the gang of vicious street thugs in retaliation for them brutally murdering his wife and his eldest son...the actual fate of his youngest son is still unknown at the end of the film.

BTW, the film's ending presents the opportunity for a sequel...or two, in the same spirit of Charles Bronson's 'Death Wish' film series.

I was thrilled when asked to write a review for this movie as it is by far
one of my Favorites! Kevin Bacon stars in this and he's always consistent
in his movies..........he's excellent! He is at his best in this one since his role requires not just a large diversity of emotions, but some of them are so
fast and he pulls each one off with ease.

This is a high-paced thriller from start to finish so you won't be disappointed. I purchased this the same week I saw the movie and have already
watched it twice! Movie and Seller are the BEST!!!

Debbie

Bad acting, aslmost comical. The worst move Kevin Bacon has ever done. Was recommed by my hair dresser, nice of here but she should stick to cutting hair!

Totally by the numbers movie. I'm a huge fan of the original Saw and Dead Silence (both by diector Wan), so I was expecting more.

I thought kevin bacon fell off and out of making movies. I am glas I was wrong. He is more than excellent in this action thriller. Im rating it 4 out of 5 stars only because some things in this movie could have been better. Definetley looking forward to more of his movies!

Great movie, great plot and great acting. Lots of action. I liked this movie because of the unexpected ending. Kevin Bacon starts as a well mannered business man, great father and great husband and you can see how his personality changes more and more as the movie goes on.