This film is frustrating for me, because it misses out on some great possibilities. First off, Paul Walker (who gives a terrific performance) plays Ben Garvery: a rehabilitated convict, brother's keeper, and soon-to-be groundskeeper. Ben, on his last day of parole, despite working hard and doing well, loses his job. He has a faithful and beautiful wife and daughter, who are going to love him regardless. Despite all of the positives in his life, Ben feels like a failure and gives into his ne'er-do-well brother's schemes to make a quick buck. Ben engages in this self-destructive behavior, because he thinks this is the best way to support his wife's dreams. What can go wrong?

Well, when Ben realizes that there are greater risks to his brother Ricky's plan (due to unforeseen third party), he wants to call it off immediately. Ricky informs Ben that his life is on the line, so Ben, forever the brother's keeper, goes through with the scheme. I should note that the brothers' father committed suicide, so I can only imagine that Ben had to pick up where the Dad left off. My issues with the suicide of the father will come later.

Of course, the plot fails. The unforeseen party is trigger happy, which leads Ricky to death and Ben on death-row (the crime was committed in Texas, btw).

SPOILERS

Ben gets executed. He wakes up walking a lonely road to nowhere until he is picked up by Ezra. Ezra assumes Ben is the groundskeeper for the mental institution that he oversees. The film works great when you think that Ben is going through his own purgatory. When you think of the many issues he has to deal with post-death, it gets exciting to think of Ben's possible decisions. There is even a thriller aspect thrown into the mix with one of the psychotic and possibly irredeemable patients. There is even something a bit deeper when you think of what could happen to a soul if it was beaten down long enough by a father, which is reflected in one of the other patients. I was also expecting more of a response to the father's suicide, but it never happens.

When I was deeply engaged with the film mid-way, I felt that there was no way the film was going to follow-through with the afterlife angle.

Spoilers

It doesn't happen. The whole set-up was some kind of scientific patient rehabilitation experiment. When the filmmakers went this route, it just opened up so many issues with me. The lack of security for potentially dangerous criminals is one of them. And to just let Ben go, this is definitely a big issue.

This film had something great building up, and I just hate that they settled for mediocre sci-fi instead.

Bob Gunton was good as usual; however, I really wish they gave him a legit good guy role to counter the audience's preconceived notions of him. In the beginning, I thought Ezra was too good to be true and so I was anticipating the "twist". I really wish that twist never happened.