"Death Sentence" does have a handful of effective moments, and most, if not all, come in the quieter, character-driven sequences.
Unfortunately, that's not why most people want to see violent revenge thrillers. And in the more sensational and gruesome aspects, the film fails miserably, getting more ridiculous and unbelievable as it goes along.
Based on a novel by Brian Garfield (who also wrote the novel that spawned the "Death Wish" movies), "Death Sentence" stars Kevin Bacon as Nick Hume, a successful financial analyst and devoted father of two.
Nick is especially proud of his oldest son Brendan (Stuart Lafferty), a promising hockey athlete. So he's heartbroken when Brendan is killed during a gas-station robbery.
But rather than cooperating with the district attorney and police investigators, Nick decides to take matters into his own hands by killing the thug who was responsible, Joe Darley (Matt O'Leary).
That begins a game of violent retribution between the increasingly unhinged Nick and Joe's meaner older brother, Billy (Garrett Hedlund), who tracks down Nick's family.
Director James Wan and cinematographer John R. Leonetti shot the film in the same washed-out color scheme and with the same grainy textures as the "Saw" movies, which Wan helped create. He's also unsure in the action sequences, such as one in a parking garage, which should be thrilling but is instead tedious and confused.
As for Bacon, he's fine when he's playing Nick as the upstanding family man. But he's laughably unconvincing when the character turns vigilante.
That's not to say the rest of the cast is any better. Only John Goodman, who plays an arms dealer, seems to understand how silly all of it is. (Kelly Preston appears to be bored in a thankless role as Nick's wife.)
"Death Sentence" is rated R for strong scenes of violent action (throat-slashing and stabbings, fisticuffs, shootings, violence against women and vehicular violence), graphic gore and blood, strong sexual profanity and other language, drug content (painkillers and heroin), crude gestures and slang, and slurs based on race and sexual preference. Running time: 99 minutes.
E-MAIL: jeff@desnews.com