Reading the title of this review, you might assume that I have a plan to get into the cute, sweet story of a boy who just wants to dance, and the headstrong preacher man who is doing his best to crush that dream. That, of course, is my obligatory Footloose reference which is technically required whenever anyone mentions Kevin Bacon’s name in conjunction with anything having to do with the film industry...

       This installment however, will not mention anything more about feet or the fact that they may or may not be loose. I just finished watching Mr. Kevin Bacon’s un-rated DVD Death Sentence, which was recently released by 20th Century Fox and Hyde Park Entertainment. I must say ladies and gents that impressed would be the perfect word to describe my feelings.

       Death Sentence is based on the bestselling novel of the same name penned by Brian Garfield. The story begins with a simple, happy family consisting of a husband named Nicholas, a wife named Helen, and two boys, Lucas and Brendan. One fateful night, on a return trip home from an out of town hockey game with his son Brendan (Stuart Lafferty), Nick (Kevin Bacon) stops to refuel on gasoline while his son heads inside to quench a craving for a slushy. In a classic case of being at the wrong place at the wrong time, Brendan finds himself in the middle of a shootout. Several gun wielding gang members charged into the convenient store to perform a ritual they lovingly refer to as an initiation kill. Younger, newer members of the gangs must kill a random person before they become accepted as a man. Moments before Nick realizes what’s going on and makes a mad dash toward his son, the gang manages to blast the clerk and mercilessly slice Brendan’s throat. Involuntarily tossed into a scuffle with the killer who was abandoned by his gang buddies, Nick gets an up close and personal view of the kid’s face. The killer escapes after being randomly hit by a passing motorist. Meanwhile, Brendan is rushed off to the hospital. Nick’s wife Helen (Kelly Preston) and his other son Lucas (Jordan Garrett) arrive to hear the devastating news that Brendan did not survive.

       Later, at the police station, Nicholas correctly identifies the killer in a line up. The woman in charge of the case, Detective Wallis (Aisha Tyler) labels the killer an animal. In a pre trial meeting with lawyers, Nick realizes that the one responsible for his beloved son’s death may only do a few short years in jail. His original plan to identify the killer in a court of law evolves and gears start turning inside the mind of a grieving father. What follows is a brand of vigilante justice the likes of which head gang member Billy Darley (Garrett Hedlund) is surprisingly not prepared for. It should be noted that John Goodman rounds out the cast as Billy’s ne’er do well father and illegal arms dealer.

       In researching this film, I have realized that many others shine a very negative light into every crack and crevice contained in this production. I do not believe that all of the pundits’ negativity is justified. I was absolutely blown away by the perfectly executed performance by Kevin Bacon acting as the emotionally distraught father who is forced to fight an inner battle between right and wrong and good and evil; all while dealing with the unnecessary, tragic death of a son whose future was brighter than any shining star.

       While some of the minor roles seemed to serve little to no purpose at all, (i.e. why was John Goodman’s character even in this movie?) the overall sensation of the film kept me interested. The side story involving Nick and his younger son Lucas put enough out there for me to want to care and the hospital bedside speech by Kevin Bacon’s character. This speech rivals the quality of Stallone’s speech to his son in 2006's Rocky Balboa. Although the gang seemed a bit cliché the each actor pulled out enough of a performance to make their scenes watchable.

       I highly recommend this film for its gritty realism. There is something about Kevin Bacon’s performance that grabs a hold of you and just locks you down. He is a pleasure to watch in this movie.