

Gray assembles the bits and pieces of Kurt Wimmer's script with competent mechanics, but he falters when he tries to connect the action set pieces with a plot that makes sense or doesn't kick against the limits of plausibility. Foxx is decent and tortured Butler is an appropriately regretful sociopath until the film's third act, when he has to kick the homicide up a notch to drive the film toward its climax.Īs a new-millennium spin on films like Death Wish or Taxi Driver, Law Abiding Citizen works well when it keeps to the simple kinetic energy of the action Clyde's machinations are just one step removed from the four-color outlandishness of a comic book evil genius.

Gary Gray ( The Italian Job, The Negotiator) has the flash and enthusiasm to make this kind of film and the other diversions that have made up his career, but watching him flail for deeper meaning and social commentary is a bit of a strain. Ludicrous and over pumped, LAW ABIDING CITIZEN is an overdone thriller that also has some real shocks and a couple of nasty surprises.

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So he makes a deal for one of the criminals to go free while the other goes to Death Row-in his eyes, the closest thing to justice that Clyde will get. His lawyer, Nick (Jamie Foxx), suspects that it will be impossible to convict both men, and that it's likely for both to walk free. Foxx gives 'Law-Abiding Citizen' his best shot here, but Gerard Butler seems to have trouble finding an emotional grounding from which to work and certainly never seems to tap into the rage and grief of a bereaved parent/spouse. We see the pain written on his face, but his case is not so airtight in the eyes of the district attorney's office. 'Law-Abiding Citizen' clearly sides with Clyde Shelton and is betting that audiences will make a similar choice. Law Abiding Citizen is the ultimate get even film. Gerard Butler fans will delight in his role as an everyman who was failed by the American legal system. Clyde looks on, helpless, and is, for some reason, left alive. Law Abiding Citizen, now out on DVD, is arguably one of the best vigilante justice films on the market. The film opens with a brief moment of tenderness, between him and his daughter, before spiraling into a relentless onslaught of cruelty: A pair of invaders break into his house and brutally rape and kill his wife before murdering the child. The character in question is Clyde Shelton (Gerard Butler), a tinkerer whose few minor inventions have earned him a fair amount of money. Or at least, it doesn't allow us to be totally repulsed by him. And though it's not entirely clear, I think the movie actually wants us to sympathize with the guy. Of course, the high brow critics didnt like it, but the audience generally did. It may not put a smiley face on the Taliban, yet its plot centers around a violent genius who brutally kills innocent people as a way of enacting revenge on a government with which he has grievances. audience Reviews Rating: 4 out of 5 stars. Regardless of any drawbacks that the film may have, and it is certainly not perfect, it makes valid points about the. But that's essentially what we have with Law Abiding Citizen. Rating: Law Abiding Citizen, the new thriller with Gerard Butler and Jamie Foxx, is an interesting revenge thriller that takes the viewer to some unexpected places and provokes thoughtful conversations and introspection. Can you imagine a major Hollywood studio releasing a movie that is blatantly, unashamedly pro-terrorism? Of course not for obvious reasons, terrorism is not something that any rational person would ever condone, and to make a movie that supports it would be, if nothing else, financial suicide.
