Unrated DVD

Not long ago, Roy Frumkes told me he had seen a revenge film called DEATH SENTENCE, which he really liked. Being a fan of 70s revenge flicks, I wrote down the title but never got around to hunting the film down. Then my brother in law passed me his Blockbuster rental, which I finished mere minutes ago.

The classic revenge film, of course, is DEATH WISH (1974) starring Charles Bronson, not a great film, but a great reflection of angst in New York City during that era. My favorite two revenge films are ROLLING THUNDER (1977) and MS. 45 (1981). Yes, the late 20th Century was a great time for getting even! Another guilty pleasure is SAVAGE STREETS (1984), which I actually saw on 42nd Street in NYC.

The appeal of the revenge film, of course, is to see an Everyman so wronged (usually meaning that his wife/girlfriend/son/daughter/best friend/dog--or all of the above--is even more wronged)that he takes the law--and the weapon of his choice--into his hands. If the filmmakers properly put the screws to him, we cheer when he commits cathartic acts of violence. Remember: it's wrong to root for hockey masked slashers as they stalk nubile babysitters, but it's perfectly acceptable to support a Wronged Victim as he blows away rapists, muggers, robbers, and IRS agents. Revenge films work best when their protagonists are peaceful liberal types who learn that kicking ass is the only way to solve problems in a society where activist judges protect the rights of criminals over those of law abiding civilians. The real revenge films died at the end of the 1980s, when the viewing public decided they preferred freakish, steroid enhanced action heroes like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, and even Dolph Lundgren over Everyman vigilantes. (In a weird twist, Stallone is currently developing a remake of DEATH WISH).

DEATH SENTENCE, starring Kevin Bacon, is a welcome return to the sleazy, exploitative revenge films of the 70s and 80s, albeit with slick cinematography and plentiful steadicam shots. Sleaze is an important quality in a revenge film because you have to really, really hate your villains to want your hero/antihero to shoot, stab, and maim them. The film was directed by James Wan, who directed the original SAW and had a hand in its sequels, so believe me when I tell you that this film provides ample suspense, excessive violence, and gratuitous gore--and that's a good thing!

Bacon stars as a successful businessman, Nick Hume, with a perfect family, including Kelly Preston, aka Mrs. John Travolta. The film does a great job setting up the Hume family unit while ominously suggesting that nothing good ever lasts. When Bacon's older son is murdered by a punk during a gang initiation, he is justifiably pissed off when the DA wants to cut a deal for the sake of an easy conviction rather than go through a lengthy trial. Rather than play along, Bacon, the sole witness to his son's murder, plays dumb so the punk walks free. Then Bacon goes after the killer himself. Unfortunately, the punk turns out to be the brother of the gang leader (Garrett Hedlund), which results in grieving father and grieving brother trying to take each other out in ever more escalating and over the top ways. In the end, Bacon goes all Travis Bickle on the gang, which is just fine by me.

Bacon, who seems to be morphing into Gary Cole before our eyes, is fine as the troubled father, Hedlund is suitably menacing, and John Goodman is quite eccentric role as a criminal head who pops up periodically. Aishe Tyler plays a police detective who suspects Bacon almost immediately, a variation on the cop played by Harry Gardenia in DEATH WISH. The action sequences are well executed with a razzle dazzle remeniscent of the late, great Sam Peckinpah via his onetime heir apparent, Kathryn Bigelow. My favorite sequence starts out with a failed assassination attempt on a crowded sidewalk in broad daylight, turns into a frenetic foot chase, and climaxes with an adrenaline pumping gag on the top level of a parking garage.

I was surprised to see that DEATH SENTENCE had a theatrical release, but not surprised to see that mainstream critics didn't get it.If you're a fan of revenge flicks, 42nd Street grindhouse fare or general exploitation, I advise you to buy a copy of this film because you'll want to see it more than once.