Movie Review: Death Sentence - Starring Kevin Bacon, Garrett Hedlund, Kelly Preston, Aisha Tyler & John Goodman
Movie: Death Sentence (R)
Released: August 31st, 2007
Runtime: 1 hr. 50 min.
Ticket Price: $7.50 Matinee
Refreshments: Starburst
Starring: Kevin Bacon, Garrett Hedlund, Kelly Preston, Aisha Tyler & John Goodman
Director: James Wan
Rating: Worth a Matinee
Synopsis: Nick Hume, played by Kevin Bacon (Mystic River, Hollow Man), is a husband and father of two. His oldest boy is a star hockey player and all around golden boy. On the way home from a game in the city, they stop off for gas. The son goes inside for a drink and a gang of thugs shows up. One of them kills the son as part of his gang initiation. The father sees him and picks him out of lineup. Upon hearing that the just system may be able to get three years, on a plea bargain, for the guy who killed his son, he tells the judge he is unsure and they let him go. He follows him home and later returns to exact his own justice that takes the life of the gang member. The gang figures out that it was probably Nick and attempts to retaliate. After and unsuccessful attempt, they go after the rest of his family and it becomes a last man standing war.
Review: Death Sentence doesn’t break any new ground that hasn’t been thoroughly covered by Charles Bronson in Death Wish
The director, James Wan (Saw), has put together a very good action thriller. The movie has a really good flow to it. It takes its time in the beginning setting up the family dynamic. Many movies of this type spend five minutes setting up story and the next hour and a half blowing through the action sequences. You don’t care. You don’t have time. With Death Sentence, the story is setup over the course of the first 10 to 15 minutes. It is slow, but when the son is killed, you have been given enough time to care about it.
The actors all give great performances. Bacon’s transformation from family man to killer, who is out for revenge, is just what you would expect from him. Kelly Preston (Sky High, For Love of the Game), as the mother, is fantastic. Her reaction to the death of her son at the hospital is hearth wrenching. Garrett Hedlund (Georgia Rule, Friday Night Lights), as the head of the gang Nick does battle with, portrays the psycho drug dealer in a non-stereotypical way. He doesn’t seem like they just plucked a bad guy out of central casting and plopped him down in the role of bad guy.
Death Sentence was a lot better than it looked like it was going to be. It has a few elements thrown in to keep you off guard and make you jump in your seat, a couple of twists that you probably won’t see coming and an all around great look to it.
If you are looking for a good option at your local theater this Labor Day weekend, then check out, the matinee worthy, Death Sentence.
Have you seen it? What did you think of Death Sentence?
What New Movies Come Out Friday, August 31st?
This week, at a theater near you, there are 8 new movies being released. Three open wide and another five are in limited release.
Opening Nationwide on Wednesday, August 29th:
Movie: Balls of Fury (PG-13)
Starring: Dan Fogler, Christopher Walken, George Lopez, Maggie Q & James Hong
Genre: Comedy
Synopsis: The world of underground Ping-Pong turns out to be deadly. So, and FBI agent sends in a former champion undercover. They hope to find the bad guy behind all this and the guy who killed the former champion’s father as well. Under the tutelage of a blind Ping-Pong master and his super hot daughter, he tries to regain his former glory and enters the unsanctioned tournament.
First Thoughts: This looks incredibly stupid and not in a funny way.
Opening Nationwide on Friday, August 31st:
Movie: Death Sentence (R) (Read Review)
Starring: Kevin Bacon, Garrett Hedlund, Kelly Preston, Aisha Tyler & John Goodman
Genre: Action Drama Thriller
Synopsis: When a father’s family is attacked during a gang initiation, he goes all off and decides that he will hand out the justice the system would not.
First Thoughts: Kevin Bacon is the new Charles Bronson, as he goes all Death Wish
Movie: Halloween (R)
Starring: Malcolm McDowell, Tyler Mane, Scout Taylor-Compton & Daeg Faerch
Genre: Horror
Synopsis: See how a pathological killer is made with this new beginning for the Halloween franchise.
First Thoughts: Another in the never-ending long line of horror remakes.
Movies in Limited Release this Friday:
- Exiled – Two hit men sent to take out a guy that is trying to go legit during the turnover of Macau to Chinese rule in 1998.
- Freshman Orientation – A hot coed who has been tasked by her sorority leader to seduce and then dump a bunch of misfits and losers thinks a guy is gay and he thinks it gives him a shot at scoring with her.
- Ladron que Roba a Ladron – Two thieves join to rob a millionaire that made his money in infomercials. Sounds a lot like a cancelled sitcom that was on ABC last season.
- The Nines – Three separate stories are told in this comedy drama starring Ryan Reynolds, Hope Davis and Melissa McCarthy.
- Self-Medicated – A 17-year-old boy that is struggling with the loss of his father spirals out of control in the outskirts of Las Vegas. So, his mother hires a company to kidnap him and get him clean, but they are somewhat corrupt themselves.
The movie The 11th Hour continues to expand this weekend.
For New Movie Friday there are four new movies at a theater near me this week. They are Balls of Fury, Death Sentence and Halloween. What new movie will you be heading out to see this week?
Movie Review: War - Starring Jet Li & Jason Statham
Movie: War (R)
Released: August 24th, 2007
Runtime: 1 hr. 39 min.
Ticket Price: $5.00 Early Matinee
Refreshments: Hot Dog, Milk Duds & Starburst
Starring: Jet Li & Jason Statham
Director: Philip Atwell
Rating: Check it Out When it Hits the Likes of HBO or Showtime
Synopsis: An assassin has apparently killed an FBI agent’s partner and family. The FBI agent becomes consumed with exacting revenge. When the assassin returns, a war between two Asian mobsters is sparked. As the battle ensues, the ultimate confrontation between the agent and the man he has sought ends up revealing the truth of what took place.
Review: You don’t go to a movie like War for the acting, you go for the action and hope there is a modicum of a story to hold it all together. Well, War has what could have been an interesting story to back up the action, but it falters in the way it’s put together.
It was like they filmed a bunch of sequences and then tried to figure out how to put them together to make a movie. There are no transitions from one scene to the next. At one point Agent Crawford, played by Jason Statham (Crank, The Transporter), drives up in his car to a crime scene. They talk about what may have happened there and then in the next scene a big SUV pulls up at another location and he gets out. You’re like, what? How did they get there? Is it the next day already? This happens way too many times.
Plus, the quick cut action sequence has seen its day. How about just showing us the fight sequence already, or are you trying to cover something up with all the hyper-editing. Like that the fight isn’t all that exciting itself and we have seen it all before. Although, there are a couple of sword play scenes that are pretty good involving Jet Li (Unleashed, The One).
Another problem, as many movies in this genre have, is that all the Asian gang members look like they stepped right out of central casting. They all look the part, as we’ve come to expect them, but they are just a bunch of caricatures. Just taking up space until it is there turn to be taken out.
Overall, you should wait on this one until it hits the premium cable movie outlets, as you won’t be missing anything worth seeing on the big screen. This movie doesn’t even live up to the likes of the two Transporter flicks
Have you seen War? What did you think?
What New Movies Come Out Friday, August 24th?
This week it’s war at a theater near you, as there are 12 new movies being released. Six open wide and another six are in limited release.
Opening Nationwide on Friday, August 24th:
Movie: Illegal Tender (R)
Starring: Rick Gonzalez, Wanda De Jesus & Dania Ramirez
Genre: Action Thriller
Synopsis: A young and very studious college student with a great girlfriend, a caring mother and a future where the skies the limit gets sucked into something he never wanted to be in the middle of. When an enemy, who killed his father, from his mother’s past returns, he must take a stand to protect her. He must become the man his dead father always hoped he would be. You don’t want to get between this guy and his mother.
First Thoughts: Probably catch it someday when it hits the premium cable channels.
Movie: Mr. Bean’s Holiday (G)
Starring: Rowan Atkinson
Genre: Comedy
Synopsis: Mr. Bean decides that he can no longer take the unbearably cold and wet winter any longer and sets out for a vacation on the French Riviera. But, as things usually do for him, things don’t go as planned. He is thought to be a kidnapper at one point and then highly regarded director at another. Will he make it to his destination and a little fun in the sun? And if so, what will he have to do to get there?
First Thoughts: I think this character has gotten a little long in the tooth. You would definitely have more fun watching classic episodes of Mr. Bean
Movie: The Nanny Diaries (PG-13)
Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Laura Linney, Alicia Keys & Chris Evans
Genre: Comedy
Synopsis: A lowly college student becomes a nanny for very rich, but very dysfunctional couple living in Manhattan. She must learn to manage her time wisely, as the spoiled child she looks after, her demanding employers, a new boyfriend and schoolwork pull at her from every direction. It is based on the Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus book
First Thoughts: Looks like it could be a fun date night type movie, cause she ain’t going to see War with you.
Movie: Resurrecting the Champ (PG-13)
Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Josh Hartnett, Kathryn Morris, Alan Alda & Teri Hatcher
Genre: Sports Drama
Synopsis: A sports writer with a crumbling marriage and a boss that sends him out to cover what nobody else wants to, rescues a homeless man one evening and find that the man was a former boxer that most people think is dead. He sets out to write the boxer’s story to help out his career.
First Thoughts: It’s got Samuel L. Jackson in it, so it’s probably worth checking out at some point.
Movie: September Dawn (R)
Starring: Jon Voight, Terence Stamp, Lolita Davidovich & Dean Cain
Genre: Western Drama
Synopsis: The story of what is known as the Mountain Meadows Massacre. It took place on September 11th, 1857 and was the first act of religious terrorism in the U.S. that is known. Mormons dressed as Paiute Indians killed all but the small children on a wagon train traveling through Utah that was headed for California. An adopted son of Brigham Young was, 20 years later, killed for the crime. Many say that Brigham Young himself was complicit in the massacre, but the Mormon Church has denied that to this day.
First Thoughts: This one has a little controversy attached to it, given the story. Probably see it someday, but not this Friday.
Movie: War (R)
Starring: Jet Li & Jason Statham
Genre: Action
Synopsis: An assassin has apparently killed an FBI agents partner and family. The FBI agent becomes consumed with exacting revenge. When the assassin returns, a war between two Asian mobsters is sparked. As the battle ensues, the ultimate confrontation between the agent and the man he has sought ends up revealing the truth of what took place.
First Thoughts: Cars chases, choreographed fight scenes and a vendetta, what’s not to like. It is probably not a very good movie, but might be fun just the same.
Movies in Limited Release this Friday:
- Closing Escrow – A comedy satire mockumentary starring nobody I have ever heard of.
- Dedication – A romantic black comedy starring Billy Crudup, Mandy Moore, Dianne Wiest & Bobby Cannavale.
- Deep Water
- Hannah Takes the Stairs – A romantic comedy about a woman that falls in and out of love quickly.
- The Hottest State – A romantic drama directed by Ethan Hawke.
- Right at Your Door – A disaster thriller about a guy that seals himself inside his house after dirty bombs are detonated in Los Angeles, but inadvertently, his wife ends up outside.
The movies 2 Days in Paris and The 11th Hour expand this weekend.
For New Movie Friday there are four new movies at a theater near me this week. They are Illegal Tender, Mr. Bean’s Holiday, The Nanny Diaries, Resurrecting the Champ, September Dawn and War. What new movie will you be heading out to see this week?
-
Subscribe via RSS
