Rating: 8 / 10

James Wan’s “Death Sentence” is an effective hybrid film that blends elements of the drama, thriller and action into a very intriguing anecdote that works on all levels.

The film stars Kevin Bacon – in his most intriguing role since 2004’s “The Woodsman” – as Nick Hume, a respectable suburbanite whose pride and joy seems to be invested in Brendan (Stuart Lafferty), his “golden boy” son who is about to head off to college.

Hume has a wife (Kelly Preston) and another loving son, Lucas (Jordan Garrett), whose lives meet an unexpected turn when Brendan is brutally murdered during a gas station robbery.

Aisha Tyler plays Detective Wallis, who informs Nick that his son was actually killed as a part of a gang initiation and not a robbery. Hume finds the truth that his son died so that some punk kid could feel better about himself outrageous. His criticism of this kind of attitude may be something that comes back to haunt him later.

During court proceedings, a prosecutor tells Hume his son’s killer, Joe Darley (Matt O’Leary), will not receive a life sentence due to lack of concrete evidence, but he will likely receive some jail time, assuming Hume testifies against him. In a twist of fate,

Hume withdraws his testimony, allowing Joe to walk.

Hume follows Joe and eventually avenges his son’s untimely death, hoping to add balance to the equation. This changes his life yet again, but in ways he won’t be able to comprehend until it is too late.

He is propelled into a war, standing alone as a one-man army against Joe’s older brother Billy (Garrett Hedlund) and a gang of ruthless killers.

Detective Wallis tries to convince Hume to tell her what he’s done to provoke this catastrophe, and warns him of the dangers and consequences of vigilantism. Her counsel falls on deaf ears, as Hume decides to keep what he’s done to himself.

At home, Nick’s family is oblivious to his newfound extracurricular activities. Bacon’s performance is right on target as a man who, through the eyes of those around him, is taking his loss very well only because he is secretly coping in such extravagant ways that he can’t help but not seem too upset when he gets home.

Nick’s radical exploits finally do catch up with him, and in a monumental way. The story’s climax is too crucial and surprising to reveal, but it is carried out in such a way and at such an unexpected point in the film that it goes against nearly everything that would otherwise make this a typical, run-of-the-mill revenge flick.

What takes place is a sad, yet perfect way to transition into the third act, which consists of Nick going on a bloodthirsty, no-holds-barred rampage.

Through realistically violent shoot-outs, the intense scenes involving Nick’s confrontations with the seemingly psychotic thugs are poetic in some ways. He is aware that his actions against them will only magnify the mess he’s gotten himself into, yet his grief and anger are far too powerful to repress, and blind him from factoring in even his own death as something he might want to try to avoid.

There is an interesting encounter with a gun runner (John Goodman) who ironically finds it ridiculous that Nick wants to kill someone to make himself feel better about something.

If not about a man on a deadly mission, this film could be considered an observation of the flawed human spirit, willing to risk everything for something. Even if that “something” is a direct contradiction of one’s values. Or even if that “something” is virtually nothing.

“Death Sentence” is a fine thriller that is unforgiving to everyone and refrains from mechanically siding with the hero who is only a hero in his own mind. His actions in any other movie would go unpunished, but not here.

What our “hero” engages in does not extract much empathy from those around him. For a guy like Nick Hume, it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks because, as Detective Wallis appropriately informs him, “Everybody thinks they’re right in a war.”