Review of Death Sentence (1968) by Christopher S — 24 Mar 2011

Loosely based on the novel by the same name which was a sequel to the Death Wish novel that spawned the Charles Bronson vigilante movies of the 70's. The film, borrows heavily from the Death Wish and Death Sentence novels, but follows a new character, Nick Hume played by Kevin Bacon, as he suffers a gang attack that leaves his son dead.

Kevin Bacon does a well enough job and does his best to play it with raw emotion. Even if the material is not the best, Also strong is Garrett Hedlund ( "Friday Night Lights") as the gang leader who starts this mess by encouraging the killing of Bacon's golden child son. John Goodman seems to have a blast playing a bad guy and back alley gun dealer. Kelly Preston does an alright job as well. On the negative, everything else. In particular Aisha Tyler, in the stereotypical detective role, is brutally awful as an actress and it is amplified here by some overall bad writing.

The Film Overall has its compelling moments, but ultimately it's just another Hollywood revenge flick, with a thin storyline that defies creditability. Where the film loses itself is during the second half where any sense of realism is sacrificed for those with a shorter attention span. The gang members seemingly control the city, a city that apparently only employs a handful of police officers. Bacon goes from suit-and-tie, business guy to Rambo. Basically, the film just stops making sense, especially the last 10 minutes of the film.