Law Abiding Citizen – What Did I Think?

By Kevin Coll • October 16, 2009 • View Comments

So many of you have gotten to see my video review of the film but now I can write a little more detail and thoughts of the film which stars Gerard Butler and Jaimie Foxx.

Law Abiding Citizen is a spectacular thriller combining the violent nature of revenge with the evoking emotion of deep, horrific loss. Certain elements defy reason but that is why we go to movies in the first place to have some suspension of reality and get lost in something that may be considered “too far” and “unnecessary” which Citizen surely is.

Now this movie has been done before ranging from Charles Bronson’s Death Wish to a father taking methods into his own hands with Liam Neeson’s Taken. There is just something about vengeful fathers that makes us all want to watch because any caring dad would tell you “I’ll do anything to protect my family.” Unlike Bronson’s Paul Kersey, a normal average guy, Butler’s Clyde Shelton, is someone with those “special set of skills” that make him someone with some credibility on all the elaborate vengeful schemes he does in the film. Funny thing is unlike Neeson’s Taken dad, who is a CIA agent, this guy is the one who figures out how to kill people without being in the same room as them…oooh! creepy!

On the other side of the film there is Foxx’s Nick Rice, also a father, he is an ambitious assistant district attorney who is overly proud and protective of his near-perfect conviction record; he cuts the deal that allows one of the killers of Clyde’s family to escape the death penalty, a miscalculation that transforms Clyde into a sleeping dragon that woke up pissed.

So when watching this film certain elements began to feel familiar to me and its probably some over thinking but many elements of Butler’s revenge plan seemed very similar to the Joker’s chaos plan in The Dark Knight, perhaps executed a little more cleverly or maybe just more violently.

Clyde minus the tragic back story is on a mission to ring chaos in the city, similar to the Joker but with some extra fat and reasoning behind it. Nick Rice is a combination of Harvey Dent and Batman even traveling along with a Detective partner (James Gordon-esque) to figure out Clyde’s ultimate plan. You combine those similarities with some of little nuances in the events taking place and essentially its similar in respect. You even had Butler disguised as a police officer at some point, he knocks off a judge (quite funny) and even attacks (kills) someone while behind bars. Makes you wonder if screenwriter Kurt Wimmer saw The Dark Knight and wanted to make an R-version of it.

Now I am not suggesting the film is better than The Dark Knight but there is similarities and I urge you all to find them. To conclude the film is somewhat implausible and overly violent but the weakness lies in the performances. Butler seemed fun at times but at other moments his side-mouth talking to hide his thick Scottish brogue gets annoying and Foxx’s lack of depth and believability was very evident from the beginning. Lastly, I have an issue with a film where its sole purpose is pointing out a flawed justice system but then they still make it seem like the guy who made all the wrong deals in the first place is the good guy thus siding with the justice system in the end, which makes no sense. I was left not knowing what to think.

Let’s see what the box-office verdict is for this film playing as alternative to the older weekend crowds.

Total Score: 6 out of 10

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About the Author

Kevin Coll

Kevin is a film freak, just ask him something movie related and he lights up like a Christmas tree. Originally his destiny was to go to film school, hit LA and try and become the next big thing. Circumstances change but in college, he fell in love with writing. After several failed attempts in starting a legit and hip school online magazine for his university Kevin moved into the blogosphere for himself and began Kevin’s Rant which in 2007 morphed into Fused Film. Kevin has contributed articles on other sites like Geeks of Doom and FilmShaft, he has also been a guest on podcasts for MovieViral and The Film Feed at FS.Net. His favorite movie of all time is Empire Strikes Back, he loves his Chucks, he is an avid Stargate fan and classic rock is his music scene. Email him at: kcoll@fusedfilm.com Follow His Twitter: FusedFilm