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Death Sentence
If you enjoy revenge flicks, this is definitely worth the watch. While the first half of the film is good itself, it's as if the film gets a stern kick in the ass while moving into the second (from the family threats, onward... although I'd classify "second half" as once he wakes up in the hospital... the events leading towards that are equally good, so I'm including them in my reference to the "second half.") I enjoyed the references to SAW (including a tweaked version of the twist-ending theme, and a graffitied Jigsaw puppet.) The gore, while mild throughout most of them movie, shines in the ending scenes. In one instance, a gunshot blows a hole clear through an enemy's chest, propelling him backward in a comic-book fashion. I expected it to end differently, and unlike Wan's other films, there is no twist presented in the final moments. Death Sentence comes recommended, if only for the last few scenes, to those who enjoy revenge flicks or similar material.
I also saw Shoot 'Em Up the other day. Boy, was that fun. As soon as it ended, I wanted to watch it again. It's the type of film you can just sit down with, and enjoy. Leave your brain on stand-by. While the budget is modest, this film is simply dripping with style. The script is exceptionally tight, running a mere 80 minutes in length, and never forgetting what it's main goal should be: keeping the action going, and going. There isn't even time to consider falling into boredom. The cast of characters are not only unique, but superbly acted by the likes of Clive Owen and Paul Giamatti. It's obvious they had fun while shooting this flick. Oh, and this film had me in more stitches then most films categorized as solely 'comedy.' If you're looking for a fun, adrenaline-filled, hilarious, dripping-with-cool film from 2007... you can't go wrong with Shoot 'Em Up.
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