Death Sentence is a 2007 American psychological thriller action film loosely based on the 1975 novel of the same name by Brian Garfield. Directed bySaw director James Wan, the film stars Kevin Bacon as Nick Hume, a man who takes the law into his own hands after his son is murdered by a gang as an initiation ritual. Hume must protect his family from the gang's resulting vengeance. The film premiered on August 31, 2007, and was released on DVD on January 8, 2008.
Nick Hume (Kevin Bacon) is husband to Helen (Kelly Preston), and father of two boys, Brendan (Stuart Lafferty) and Lucas (Jordan Garrett). After Brendan's hockey game, Nick and Brendan drive home, talking about the latter's potential future as a professional hockey player. They make a quick stop at a gas station in a very bad part of town. During an ostensible robbery of the gas station, Joe Darley (Matt O'Leary), a new initiate and younger brother to the gang leader, slices Brendan's throat open with a machete. Nick attempts to ambush the thugs, managing to pull off Joe's mask and see his face, but Joe escapes, only to be hit by a car. Nick rushes Brendan to the hospital, but his son dies from major blood loss.
Nick identifies Joe in a line-up, but while meeting with the district attorney, he's upset that the DA hopes to present a strong enough case that the defense will cut a deal for a mere 3 to 5 years in jail. The DA explains that Nick is the only witness, there were no surveillance cameras, and the defense could gain sympathy for Darley. At a pre-trial hearing, Nick recants his identification so that Joe will go free. He follows the gang to see where they hide out, later returning and stabbing Joe upon finding him alone. The next morning, the gang leader, Billy (Garrett Hedlund), wants revenge. After quickly discounting members of other gangs as culprits, one says that his sister saw a man in a suit that night. Confirming it was Nick from a picture published in a newspaper, and seeing where he works, they ambush him the next day on the street. After chasing him through alleys, a restaurant, then to the top of a multi-story parking garage, Nick gets into a fight with one of the members, trapping him in a car and sending him over the edge of the lot.
The next day, one of the gang members then arrives at the office where Nick works to deliver Nick's suitcase (which he dropped during the chase). Nick calls a phone number found in the case, which belongs to the gang leader Billy. Billy warns that Nick has bought a "death sentence" for his family, and reveals that Joe Darley was his brother. Nick immediately calls the police detective assigned to Brendan's case, Jessica Wallis (Aisha Tyler), who was already aware of what Nick started. She grants Nick's family police protection and issues APBs on Billy and his gang. That night, the officers watching over the family are stealthily killed, but by the time Nick realizes, he finds the gang members have already made their way inside. They attack and subdue Nick, then drag Helen and Luke downstairs to shoot them all.
Nick and Luke survive, but Helen does not. After Detective Wallis gives a brief speech that wars are never settled, she lets Nick pay a short visit to his now-comatose son, where he apologizes for not being a better father. Nick escapes from the hospital to go after the remaining gang members, obtaining guns from a black market gun dealer known as Bones (John Goodman), Billy's father, who accepts the fact that Nick wants to kill his son. Nick tracks down Heco, another member of the gang, and interrogates him about where the other members are, learning their lair is an abandoned mental hospital they call "The Office." He forces Heco at gunpoint to call Billy's cell phone, and executes Heco while Billy is listening. Bones confronts Billy and criticizes him, just before Billy kills him. Nick heads to "The Office" to kill the remainder of the gang. After an intense shootout, he and Billy encounter and seriously wound each other in the hospital chapel. Sitting on the same pew, Billy claims that he turned Nick into a vicious cold-blooded killer, just like him. After this, Nick pulls out one of his guns and asks if Billy is "ready," implying that Nick kills Billy after the scene ends.
With his family now avenged, Nick returns home and starts to watch home movies. Detective Wallis arrives and tells him that his son has started moving and will live. Nick shows a sign of relief and looks back to the TV, which shows Luke, Helen, Nick and Brendan singing on the couch.
Nick identifies Joe in a line-up, but while meeting with the district attorney, he's upset that the DA hopes to present a strong enough case that the defense will cut a deal for a mere 3 to 5 years in jail. The DA explains that Nick is the only witness, there were no surveillance cameras, and the defense could gain sympathy for Darley. At a pre-trial hearing, Nick recants his identification so that Joe will go free. He follows the gang to see where they hide out, later returning and stabbing Joe upon finding him alone. The next morning, the gang leader, Billy (Garrett Hedlund), wants revenge. After quickly discounting members of other gangs as culprits, one says that his sister saw a man in a suit that night. Confirming it was Nick from a picture published in a newspaper, and seeing where he works, they ambush him the next day on the street. After chasing him through alleys, a restaurant, then to the top of a multi-story parking garage, Nick gets into a fight with one of the members, trapping him in a car and sending him over the edge of the lot.
The next day, one of the gang members then arrives at the office where Nick works to deliver Nick's suitcase (which he dropped during the chase). Nick calls a phone number found in the case, which belongs to the gang leader Billy. Billy warns that Nick has bought a "death sentence" for his family, and reveals that Joe Darley was his brother. Nick immediately calls the police detective assigned to Brendan's case, Jessica Wallis (Aisha Tyler), who was already aware of what Nick started. She grants Nick's family police protection and issues APBs on Billy and his gang. That night, the officers watching over the family are stealthily killed, but by the time Nick realizes, he finds the gang members have already made their way inside. They attack and subdue Nick, then drag Helen and Luke downstairs to shoot them all.
Nick and Luke survive, but Helen does not. After Detective Wallis gives a brief speech that wars are never settled, she lets Nick pay a short visit to his now-comatose son, where he apologizes for not being a better father. Nick escapes from the hospital to go after the remaining gang members, obtaining guns from a black market gun dealer known as Bones (John Goodman), Billy's father, who accepts the fact that Nick wants to kill his son. Nick tracks down Heco, another member of the gang, and interrogates him about where the other members are, learning their lair is an abandoned mental hospital they call "The Office." He forces Heco at gunpoint to call Billy's cell phone, and executes Heco while Billy is listening. Bones confronts Billy and criticizes him, just before Billy kills him. Nick heads to "The Office" to kill the remainder of the gang. After an intense shootout, he and Billy encounter and seriously wound each other in the hospital chapel. Sitting on the same pew, Billy claims that he turned Nick into a vicious cold-blooded killer, just like him. After this, Nick pulls out one of his guns and asks if Billy is "ready," implying that Nick kills Billy after the scene ends.
With his family now avenged, Nick returns home and starts to watch home movies. Detective Wallis arrives and tells him that his son has started moving and will live. Nick shows a sign of relief and looks back to the TV, which shows Luke, Helen, Nick and Brendan singing on the couch.
Cast
Kevin Bacon as Nick Hume
Garrett Hedlund as Billy Darley
Kelly Preston as Helen Hume
John Goodman as Bones Darley
Aisha Tyler as Detective Jessica Wallis
Matt O'Leary as Joe Darley
Leigh Whannell as Spink
Stuart Lafferty as Brendan Hume
Jordan Garrett as Lucas Hume
Zachary Dylan Smith as Young Brendan Hume
Edi Gathegi as Bodie
Yorgo Constantine as Michael Behring
Hector Atreyu Ruiz as Heco
Garrett Hedlund as Billy Darley
Kelly Preston as Helen Hume
John Goodman as Bones Darley
Aisha Tyler as Detective Jessica Wallis
Matt O'Leary as Joe Darley
Leigh Whannell as Spink
Stuart Lafferty as Brendan Hume
Jordan Garrett as Lucas Hume
Zachary Dylan Smith as Young Brendan Hume
Edi Gathegi as Bodie
Yorgo Constantine as Michael Behring
Hector Atreyu Ruiz as Heco
Kanin Howell as Baggy
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