Law Abiding Citizen
Rated: Rated R for strong bloody brutal violence and torture, a scene of rape, and pervasive language.
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Release Date: 16 October 2009
Runtime: 109 min
Director: F. Gary Gray
Cast: Jamie Foxx, Gerard Butler, Colm Meaney, Bruce McGill, Leslie Bibb, Michael Irby, Gregory Itzin, Regina Hall, Annie Corley, Reno Laquintano, Josh Stewart
Clyde Shelton (Gerard Butler) is a genius planner and inventor. One night two robbers, Ames (Josh Stewart) Dixon (Reno Laquintano) and invade his home in Philadelphia and gruesomely kill his wife and daughter, leaving him to die on the floor. The killers are caught, and Assistant DA Nick Rice (Jamie Foxx) is assigned the case. Nick is ordered by the DA to make a deal with Dixon to testify against his partner Ames for a 10 year plea bargain prison sentence. Clyde does not want Nick to make the deal, but Nick says it was too late and the deal is done, the other option may have resulted in both men walking away. Ames was given the death penalty. After 10 years, the Dixon is released from prison, and he soon ends up dead. Clyde is arrested under suspicion and subtly admits to Nick that he did it, although not really confessing. Clyde is put in jail, and he warns Nick that he must fix the broken justice system that failed him and his family or else anyone connected to his case will soon die. Even from jail, Clyde’s threats become a reality, and Nick must stop Clyde before his family is next.
The best part of this film is watching Clyde’s plans unfold. The anticipation builds up in you until something goes BOOM on the screen. This is one of those films where you cannot help but root for the “evil” side. I enjoyed every killing on screen, and yes this may mean I am sadistic but you ought to watch the movie and see for yourself if your support switches from Clyde’s side to Rice’s. Overall the message of ‘Justice needs a lesson’ is a little extreme and the way that they are taught a lesson is a little silly, however some of the points brought up did stir up a little something in me. The fact that the justice system is not really as blind as they claim to be, and that sometimes (often times) they slip up. Fair enough. No system works at 100% efficiency.
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