As a fan of revenge flicks, I found myself both horrified and optimistic at the concept for “Death Sentence.” In actuality the similarities to a certain Charles Bronson movie isn’t so coincidental because “Death Sentence” is an unofficial sequel to that title, and in many ways James Wan attempts to add his own spin to the story and nine times out of ten succeeds with flying colors. “Death Sentence” has moments of brutal tension and incredible action sequences, and yet it’s also another spin on how revenge can destroy everyone in its circle with our main character Nick Hume finding that his quest for revenge is going nowhere. A healthy mix of “Taxi Driver,” and “The Punisher,” Wan competently tells his story of revenge and how a good family man finds the darker side of his humanity through blood shed and brutal murders, while also squeezing in mild undertones of the Iraq war in the process.

But mostly what Wan strives for is the mission of the man to avenge his son which ends in the destruction of everyone in his ring of violence, including him. “Death Sentence” may come off as vile and bleak to many a viewer, but I have a soft spot for most revenge films and this one has the advantage of Kevin Bacon who is incredibly convincing as a man destroyed by violence who willingly sacrifices everything in his life to see that he gets retribution.

Some of the scenes filmed by Wan are fantastic including the chase from the city that leads into a parking lot, Nick’s attempts to seal his house off through the pandemonium, and the climactic shoot out which becomes a brutal homage to “Taxi Driver.” Wan’s directorial skills are wonderful and he creates a truly dark action film that dares to challenge us to decide who is justified and who is the murderer in this blood feud. More so the villains are well portrayed with a vicious gang of thugs who battle Nick tooth and nail and are unwilling to back down even when he finds a way to outwit them. One of the more memorable performances is from Garrett Hedlund who plays leader of the gang Billy, who is an all out adrenaline junky insulted by yuppy Nick’s insistence on fighting back, while John Goodman is delightfully twisted as a local drug runner and gun dealer who plays the moral surveyor oddly aware of the battle ensuing and always seems to know in his mind who is just in this battle of the wills. Wan’s action thriller is an ode to the grind house that is never afraid to be vile and disgusting, and he instills the same twists and surprises in this as he does with his previous genre outings. “Death Sentence” is a tight revenge film, and I was at full attention the entire time.

The cops here are some of the most incompetent I’ve ever seen in any film. Where do they find these idiots? When Nick’s identity is discovered they post one officer in front of his house, and we know what will become of him. Aisha Tyler is wasted as a detective with a personal stake in the case who follows Nick around, never busts him even when the evidence becomes apparent, she never pursues the gang even when the evidence against them becomes apparent, and she never seems to do her job as well as can be done. It becomes painfully obvious what’s going on and all she’s good for is standing around and warning Nick of what will happen if he pursues this mission further and really never jumps to action when he resists her warnings and pleas. For you to really take this movie to mind, you have to put disbelief on hold, but writer Jeffers sometimes asks too much of us.

In spite of the fact that writer Jeffers has trouble keeping some of the sequences logical, I really enjoyed what "Death Sentence" had to offer with takes on morals, war, and the damage violence can do to people in its grasp.

• What are our favorite revenge flicks? Find out here!

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