A Scientist at the Movies Reviews by Greg Paris

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Title: Death Sentence

Date Viewed: 9/16/07

Details:

Kevin Bacon

Garrett Hedlund

Kelly Preston

John Goodman

Aisha Tyler

Director: James Wan

Score: 0

The Review: Vigilante vengeance, fall-07 part-1.

A quiet, successful businessman (Bacon) becomes trapped in a spiral of violence that begins with the casual murder of his son as part of a gang initiation. What audience sympathy is evinced for the initial victim is quickly squandered as the situation degrades rapidly into an in-your-face war with brutal psychopathic killers, far outside the bounds of normal law and civilization. Perhaps not that unusual, in some places and times, but not something with which I have any intimate familiarity.

The most interesting character is the gun dealer (Goodman) who happens to be the father of the gang leader. The contrast between the two families, especially the two father-son relationships, is explicitly drawn, but no less curious.

For additional comments and comparisons, see the companion review of The Brave One.

(22-Sep-07)

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