I didn't know much about this movie going into it, other than it stars Bruce Willis and, likely, lots of shooting. About five minutes in, I was pretty sure I could go ahead tell you most of the plot and even about 90% of the ending. As revenge fantasy action movies go, it was pretty darn predictable. Which isn't to say it wasn't enjoyable, I do enjoy a good revenge fantasy every now and then.
We are first introduced to Dr. Kersey (Bruce Willis) and his picture perfect family over an idyllic breakfast in a gorgeous suburban home, just as the fantastic daughter finds out she was accepted to the college of her dreams. The beautiful portrait of serene family life is interspersed with news reports of rising gun violence in Chicago, and scenes of Dr. Kersey attending to these gunshots as he works in the ER. Sadly this violence reaches the Kersey family, and Dr. Kersey takes to the streets to avenge his family and others.
He becomes known as the Grim Reaper, and we are shown clips of radio and talk show hosts debating the merits of vigilante justice. I think if more had been done to explore this moral quandary the movie could have had more depth and been more interesting. Instead it was pretty "rah, rah, guns" and "real men protect their families using extreme violence if necessary". As a Christian pastor I have a tough time with that message and the way it is so easily accepted and promoted in our current culture. In a strange way this movie seemed to want to bring light to the violence/gun problem we have in this country, while also glorifying it as long as it's "for a good cause".
Overall the storyline was predictable, the acting pretty good and I found myself mostly rooting for the main character. The violence got pretty gory and there were several scenes I could not/would not watch. If you're in the mood for an action flick this one might just hit the spot.