Law Abiding Citizen (DVD)

I’m glad to see Gerard Butler making more action oriented movies. After starring in a few yawn inducing chick flicks and a some mediocre kiddie movies, it looks like King Leonidas is starting to return to form. After watching the trailers for Law Abiding Citizen, I knew I had to see it. I wasn’t sure if it would be a good movie or not, but the film is clearly built on the exchanges between Jamie Foxx and Butler, which looked more than intense enough to capture my attention.

Make no mistake, Foxx and Butler are what make this movie work. Form the beginning, the plot seems like a standard revenge flick. Butler plays Clyde Shelton, whose wife and child are beaten and murdered in front of him by a group of men while his home was being broken into. Foxx is the attorney prosecuting the case, Nick Rice, who winds up cutting a deal with the leader of the group in exchange for his testimony against another, less involved group member. Shelton of course, sees Rice as corrupt and vows to have his revenge on not only Rice, but the entire judicial system.

After murdering the gang leader responsible for the death of his family, Shelton is arrested and placed in jail. However, he still continues to target and kill anyone involved with his case. It is up to Rice to figure out a way to stop him before it is too late.

The plot of the film is actually pretty good and will keep most people guessing for most of the movie. About two thirds of the way into the film, there is a huge plot twist that feels like it was lifted straight out of a cartoon. The twist is so obvious and almost insulting. Any other movie would have been destroyed by this revealation. It is a testament to the excellent acting of Foxx and Butler, however, that this movie survives. The interplay between the two actors and the tension generated between them in each scene is clearly the driving force of this film.

I know that not everyone will appreciate this movie, but it is fairly entertaining throughout. Up until the big revealation near the end, I was on the edge of my seat trying to figure out what would happen next. This movie is definitely worth renting, although not quite as good as the expectations I had for it.