Content Warning: This article contains discussions/references to murder and kidnap.
Most fans know that James Wan began his career with the very first Saw movie and that he later went on to make Aquaman actually seem cool in his first solo movie. However, one of Wan's movies that may have flown under the radar is the grisly revenge thriller Death Sentence.
The movie follows a father who witnesses his son murdered at the hands of a violent street gang and sets out on a mission of vengeance. This dark story feels a bit familiar but is elevated by a stellar cast of veterans and newcomers, many of whom fans will recognize from other high-profile and acclaimed projects.
John Goodman - 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)
John Goodman has a small yet memorable supporting role in Death Sentence as Bones. Along with being a gun dealer, Bones has an affiliation with the street gang as well as more personal connections that are revealed later in the movie.
Goodman is one of the best character actors working in the business these days. His long career is filled with memorable and great roles. But 10 Cloverfield Lane is another example of Goodman portraying a darker character as a man who holds a young woman in a bunker against her will, claiming there was a world-ending attack in the outside world. It is a great continuation of the surprise Cloverfield franchise.
Leigh Whannell - Saw (2004)
Leigh Whannell is probably best known now as a director with his recent remake of The Invisible Man, which proved to be a huge hit critically and commercially. He also has a long history with Wan as he wrote the first Saw movie and starred in it as Adam, one of two unlucky men who find themselves trapped in Jigsaw's twisted test.
While Whannell's acting career never really took off, he did reunite with Wan with a small role in Death Sentence. He plays one of the gang members named Spink though doesn't stand out much in the movie.
Judith Roberts - You Were Never Really Here (2017)
After the brutal murder of his son, Nick Hume is able to identify the killer and agrees to testify in court. Judith Roberts appears in the scene as Judge Shaw who oversees the case. Although it is a small role, the scene is pivotal as it marks the moment Nick decides to take matters into his own hands.
Roberts appears in another more thought-provoking thriller with Lynn Ramsay's You Were Never Really Here. Again, it is a small yet important role as she plays the mother to Joaquin Phoenix's character, who works as a violent private enforcer.
Matt O'Leary - Frailty (2001)
Matt O'Leary appears in Death Sentence as Joe, the youngest member of the gang. For his initiation into the group, he is forced by the rest of the gang to kill an innocent person and Nick's son ends up being the unlucky target.
O'Leary first gained attention for his role in another dark thriller. Frailty stars O'Leary as a young boy whose father (Bill Paxton) begins murdering people who he claims are actually demons in disguise. The movie is a very underrated thriller, directed by Paxton as well.
Edi Gathegi - Gone Baby Gone (2007)
Edi Gathegi appears in Death Sentence as Bodi, the second-in-command of the gang. Though he is more level-headed and rational thinking than their leader, Bodi is shown to be just as ruthless and intimidating when he wants to be.
Gathegi's career as a character actor is filled with a lot of diverse roles. His standout performance was in Ben Affleck's directorial debut, Gone Baby Gone. He plays a local criminal who is suspected of kidnapping a young girl in this excellent crime story.
Aisha Tyler - Friends (2003)
Following the murder of Nick's son, Aisha Tyler is introduced as Detective Wallis, who is overseeing the investigation. While she is initially sympathetic to Nick's loss, she soon begins to suspect that he is taking the law into his own hands and tries to stop him.
Though Death Sentence is not Tyler's only dramatic role, she is largely known for his more comedic work. Audiences will probably know her best for her extended run on Friends as Charlie Wheeler, a colleague of Ross who begins dating Joey.
Kelly Preston - Jerry Maguire (1996)
Kelly Preston stars in Death Sentence as Nick's wife Helen. Her warm and loving presence helps to establish the feeling that this is an ideal family pulled apart from violence. Following the tragedy, Preston is heartbreaking as the grieving mother who also must deal with her husband's secretive behavior.
Sadly, Preston tragically passed away in 2020. For many fans, they would always remember her for her impressive body of work, which showcased how talented she was. One standout role was in the excellent 90s romantic-comedy Jerry Maguire in which she played the self-centered girlfriend of Tom Cruise.
Garrett Hedlund - TRON: Legacy (2010)
As the villain of the movie, Garrett Hedlund gives an appropriately chilling and vicious performance as Billy Darley. With a dangerous quality to him, Billy feels like he is capable of doing some horrible damage at any moment.
Hedlund's performance in Death Sentence is quite a surprise for all those used to seeing him in the hero roles. One of his first leading man roles was in the big-budget sequel to the 1980s cult classic TRON. Hedlund plays the son of Kevin Flynn, who enters the same virtual reality world his father disappeared into years ago.
Kevin Bacon – Footloose (1984)
Kevin Bacon really carries this movie in the lead role of Nick Hume. While most revenge-focused movies feature badass and unstoppable action heroes, Bacon plays the role of an ordinary family man who loses control, is devastated with grief, and gets in over his head.
Bacon has one of the most interesting and versatile careers of any Hollywood actor and is clearly willing to take big risks with his movies. But surely his most iconic role is of the dance-loving hero in Footloose, which now feels like one of the most quintessential movies of the 1980s.