James Wan's (Saw, Dead Silence) full potential as a director may have yet to be realized by some movie-goers. Many will clearly remember him (& possibly define his career) for his 2004 psychologically twisted milestone Saw. Though Wan could have a ways to go before carving a solid niche for himself amongst modern directors, his latest effort Death Sentence is a nice step in that direction & a slick addition to the revenge thriller genre.

Based on Brian Garfield's novel (which served as a direct novel sequel to Death Wish & was obviously adapted into the 1974 classic starring the late Charles Bronson) stars Kevin Bacon in the title role. Bacon plays risk analyst Nick Hume, a hardworking husband & proud father of two. His eldest son Brendan (Stuart Lafferty) is the star player on the school hockey team & eyeing a professional hockey career. But Nick's idyllic family life comes to a screeching halt when he witnesses the violent murder of his son one night at a gas station in the wrong part of town. Joe Darley (Matt O'Leary), the murderer of Nick's son, is able to slip away from a scuffle. But not before having his ski mask yanked off to expose his identity to Nick & being banged up by a passing car.

When Nick goes to court, he is dumbfounded by the words of his attorney & detective (Aisha Tyler) presiding over his case. In a nutshell, he's informed his son was the random victim of a gang initiation & that the culprit's jail time will be minimal due mostly to weak evidence such as lack of a murder weapon, no gas station security tape & Nick being the only eyewitness to the crime. The case is dismissed when Nick alters his account of the crime & refuses to finger the culprit in court.

Convinced the judicial system has failed him, Nick takes it upon himself to take the law into his own hands by tracking down Joe Darley & stabbing him to death later that night. But the "eye for an eye" philosophy isn't that easy. When gang leader Billy Darley (Garrett Hedlund) learns of his younger brother's death, he condemns Nick's remaining family with a death sentence.

Audiences who remember Wan for Saw should know right off the bat what to expect when going into Death Sentence: an unflinching no punches pulled thriller. In spite of the down-&-dirty carnage of Death Sentence, the movie still conjures up some genuine pathos for Nick & put the spotlight on the moral repercussions of revenge. Prime examples of this are Nick questioning his actions just moments before killing Joe Darley & the overwhelming guilt that gets the better of him & causes him to break down sobbing & apologizing for his crime. Ex-Nine Inch Nails musician Charlie Clouser once again lends his talent to compose a musical score comprised of fitting mood music (harmonic ambient vocals for sorrowful or tragic moments & raw industrial-tinged music for Nick's culminating rage).

As far as actors go, Bacon definitely owned the movie. His metamorphosis from happy family man to hardened vigilante came off very believable. Kelly Preston felt a bit underused as Nick's wife, whereas Nick's younger son Lucas (Jordan Garrett) is fleshed out slightly more. Garrett Hedlund made for a better than expected enemy for Nick. And John Goodman manages to steal the few scenes he's in as Bones Darley, Joe & Billy's volatile father who uses his mechanic shop as a front for selling illegal firearms. If you can visualize what a greasy constantly p*ssed off older brother of Walter (Goodman) from The Big Lebowski would be like, you've got Bones Darley.

The violence is a bit extreme in spots (I'd be lying if I said I didn't wince when I saw the blast of a double barrel shotgun turn some punk into an amputee). Billy Darley & his crew of tattooed badasses driving around in tinted window Mustangs are really nothing new in the bad guy image department. And for a guy that's never shot a gun in his life, Nick's quick crash course in firearms sure does make him a superlative (if not somewhat far fetched) marksman. Complete realism is best kept on the back burner (I sure as hell can't remember the last 100% realistic revenge flick I saw) & pacifists &/or the faint of heart might want to sit this one out. While not of the classic caliber of Death Wish, Death Sentence should still be quite the cup of tea for revenge enthusiasts.

3.5 out of 5 stars

Recommended: Yes

Movie Mood: Guy Movie
Viewing Method: Studio Screening/Premiere
Film Completeness: Looked complete to me.
Worst Part of this Film: Ending