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Death Sentence

A family is torn apart while the movie suffers the same fate

By Matt Pais

August 31, 2007

Critic's Rating:

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Nick's (Kevin Bacon) perfect life is destroyed when his son is the victim in a gang initiation killing. Things don't get any better when Nick murders the murderer and incurs the wrath of the entire clan, leading the white-collar father to go hunting for even more blood.

Big question: Can this action flick capture a dad's desperation without suggesting that revenge is sweet?

Skip it: Beginning as a worst-case-scenario story with exciting chases and an unrelenting performance from Bacon, "Death Sentence" changes gears into only-in-the-movies silliness as the determined dad survives shots to the neck and the cops' investigation looks more like a loitering demonstration. It's OK for sleazy, late-night entertainment until the statement of "the world is a scary place" starts sounding like "violence might be the answer."

Catch it: To hear an airtight sales pitch for guns, as a crime boss (John Goodman) tells Nick, "Any one of those is bound to make you feel better about what's bothering you." Whether or not the movie is trying to be ironic, it certainly doesn't deter Nick from his cause!

Bottom line: Incompetently directed by James Wan ("Saw"), "Death Sentence" feels not like a thriller about a father protecting his family but a series of impulsive decisions regarded as sound.

Bonus: We're treated to yet another cringe-worthy performance this week from Aisha Tyler ("Balls of Fury"), who appears as the lead cop on the case. At least a few laughs come from her delivery of already-painful lines like, "This thing stops right now," and, "Everybody thinks they're right in a war. Everybody still dies in the end." Jeez.

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