Law Abiding Citizen Movie Review
I tend to think of good stories as ones that take you somewhere, with someone to root for along the way. You may not like where it goes, but there is always a purpose in mind for the hero or heroine. Underdogs, rags to riches, triumph over evil, the prevailing of the human spirit, conquering the odds, etc., etc. Even in horror movies, where it’s all about death, you want to see the person getting chased find a way to get away – no matter how dumb they are. So, can a film be good without a champion to follow?
Law Abiding Citizen is implausible, discordant and although it is a suspense thriller, leans more towards the Saw horror franchise than something like last year’s Taken (Liam Neeson). And yet, I really liked it. It’s a pure revenge story that doesn’t let common sense or morality stand in its way. It identifies how broken the idea of justice can be, and puts forth a story of unadulterated retribution.
The movie begins with a horrifying home invasion for Clyde Shelton (Gerard Butler, 300). With wife and daughter murdered, he awaits due process for the killers through Assistant DA Nick Rice (Jamie Foxx, The Soloist). Unfortunately, the DA’s office feels like the case isn’t strong enough and cuts a deal with one of the criminals who actually did the killing. One criminal goes on death row, the other gets off with a few years of time in prison.
Flash forward 10 years. At the execution, something goes horribly wrong. And then the real payback begins…Even as the cat and mouse game finds Clyde in prison, Nick and his team find themselves unable to stop more vengeance from being wreaked upon Philadelphia’s court officials. No one that had anything to do with the court case is safe, except unexplainably, Nick himself. Apparently being made to watch those around him die is his punishment. But it rings hollow as you realize Clyde doesn’t want to make a statement about our legal system (as the movie throws in your face over and over), he just wants people to die.
Gerard Butler does a very believable normal genius that goes insane from tragedy. And Jamie Foxx does a passable job as the no-one-likes-a-lawyer-cause-they’re-only-in-it-for-themselves family man who may have a conscience after all. But there are just too many holes in the plot. Why is a lawyer acting more like a detective the whole movie? How did no one know what Clyde did for a living until halfway through the film? How much belief can be suspended for the end reveal to be believable? And where did the handcuffs go before that jail cell murder?
Lots of questions with no answers. But answers aren’t what this movie is about. It’s about seeing evil in this world and dealing with it. Even if it means you become evil yourself. Not a great message. But a great, fast paced thrill ride of a movie.
