Particularly, you want them to pay in agony.
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And when it’s not, you want those who committed this heinous crime to pay. As a concept, it’s a ripper: most audiences love to see a good vendetta film (even though Clyde himself states it’s not a vendetta) and Law Abiding Citizen delivers the emotional goods in that regard. Law Abiding Citizen is a decent enough effort, but it comes with a few flaws. He’s returned to the writing arena this time round (he also penned the Angelina Jolie action/thriller Salt) and I wanted to see what he came up with. I came to this film keen to see the work of screenwriter Kurt Wimmer, the man behind one of my all-time favourite films, Equilibrium, and the debacle that was UltraViolet. But this isn’t the end of Clyde’s plan of vengeance he’s after everyone who had anything to do with the case, legal team included. Nick and his legal team, as well as the police, soon discover that it’s actually Clyde himself who has killed his family’s murderers, both in brutal, extreme ways. Nick, present at the execution, discovers that somebody switched the canisters of lethal injection chemicals and it appears to be the other killer. Ten years later, and the death row killer is executed, although something goes horribly wrong and he dies in excruciating agony. One of the killers is sent to death row, while the other (the more violent offender) is given a 3 year sentence. After the pair of killers is captured, and brought to trial, Clyde’s lawyer Nick Rice (Jamie Foxx) tells Clyde that the case against both killers isn’t strong, although one of the men has agreed to testify for the prosecution in a plea bargain. In the films brutal opening scene, Clyde Shelton (Gerard Butler) witnesses the murder of his wife and child, while he survives. Law Abiding Citizen tries to be both an indictment on the current justice system in the US, and a thriller vendetta film in some ways, it succeeds and fails. But when that system of justice lets you down, what then?ĭude, wrong film.
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The brutal slaying of a man’s family would push the majority of audiences to have a degree of sympathy, if not understanding, towards the perceived need for justice.
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There’s the one group who side on the “eye for an eye” moral stance, while the others side with “do unto others as you want done unto you”, forgive and forget, and all that fluffy stuff. There’s something about revenge films that polarises an audience. Overall, a solidly entertaining thriller with a great twist, but it’s unable to make the transition to truly great. F Gary Gray, a reliable and perfunctory director (of such works as Frequency) often hits the mark here, but is let down by some moments of “meh”. What we think : Well developed, yet weirdly flat, revenge thriller putting Gerard Butler up against the always-reliable Jamie Foxx, as a man whose thirst for justice for his murdered family threatens to bring down a city. 10 Years later, upon the execution of one of the killers, Clyde’s plan of vengeance begins, and it will bring a city to its knees. Synopsis: When his wife and child are killed, Clyde Shelton is shocked to learn his lawyer has done a deal for one of the murderers, which will allow the other to do a minimal jail sentence. Principal Cast : Gerard Butler, Jamie Foxx, Bruce McGill, Leslie Bibb, Colm Meaney, Viola Davis, Regina Hall, Gregory Itzin.Īpprox Running Time : (Director’s Cut) 136 Minutes