Movie Review: Law Abiding Citizen

Friday, December 11, 2009
Synopsis: Clyde Shelton is an upstanding family man whose wife and daughter are brutally murdered during a home invasion. When the killers are caught, Nick Rice, a hotshot young Philadelphia prosecutor, is assigned to the case. Over his objections, Nick is forced by his boss to offer one of the suspects a light sentence in exchange for testifying against his accomplice. Fast forward ten years. The man who got away with murder is found dead and Clyde Shelton coolly admits his guilt. Then he issues a warning to Nick: Either fix the flawed justice system that failed his family, or key players in the trial will die. Soon Shelton follows through on his threats, orchestrating from his jail cell a string of spectacularly diabolical assassinations that can be neither predicted nor prevented. Philadelphia is gripped with fear as Shelton's high-profile targets are slain one after another and the authorities are powerless to halt his reign of terror. Only Nick can stop the killing, and to do so he must outwit this brilliant sociopath in a harrowing contest of wills in which even the smallest misstep means death. With his own family now in Shelton's crosshairs, Nick finds himself in a desperate race against time facing a deadly adversary who seems always to be one step ahead.

Starring: Jamie Foxx, Gerard Butler, Colm Meaney, Bruce McGill, Leslie Bibb
Directed by: F. Gary Gray
U.S. Rating: R

Despite the critics and reviews I've read about this movie, I personally believe it is a very entertaining action/thriller with an interesting plot. I remember reading the first reviews and comments over the weekend when the film was released and most of these comments and reviews said that it was a mediocre and predictable plot with a bad cast performance. After watching the film on the theaters this weekend, I can only think on "what do these people want or expect from a plot or movie like this one?" an Oscar material? Not because it has an Oscar winner means that it has to be a perfect plot with a magnificent cast performance! Nicolas Cage, Mel Gibson, Angelina Jolie, etc., are Oscar winners and most of their latest action movies could be considered as good (or crappy) as this one. I say this because some of the critics or reviews critize Jamie Foxx, an Oscar winner, playing a role in a movie like this one.

Said that, I must admit that I really enjoyed the movie. Trying to apply the game between the law formalisms and true justice, Law Abiding Citizen brings the story of a man who had to see his wife and little daugther be murdered by two delinquents who decided to break into their house and commit these horrible actions. Following formalisms and applying the letter of the law, Jamie Foxx, who plays the role of the attorney who needs to negociate with the killers and their sentences, sending to the death penalty the wrong delinquent and putting behind bars for only five years the real murderer.

Gerard Buttler, facing these cruel formalisms of the law and "justice" decides to take justice on his own hands and plans the perfect plan to take the lives of the resposible ones and put the legal system down to its knees due to the killing of everyone involved in this incident (Lawyers, Judge, Major, etc, etc, etc). The only problem is that they know how it started but not how it will end, since what seemed to be an act of justice turned into a list of assassinations that went out of the people involved.

If you're looking for a film with a good interesting and entertaining thriller loaded with tons of explosions and action scenes, this is the right option. Warning: There are a couple of blood/violent scenes.

What did I like from this movie?

1. The plot was interesting. It really kept me intrigued about how this guy was able to commit all these assasinations and destruction being isolated in prison
2. It is loaded with some really good action scenes
3. It was really funny all the "deal negociations", asking for a nice bed and a really good meal
4. It is interesting the point of view of the script, showing the imperfections of the legal system and justice, as well as the consequences of searching justice by your own hands. It always ends the wrong way

What did I dislike from this movie?

1. I did find the scene when he kills his cell mate very disturbing
2. I didn't see the point of the scene when they meet this guy in the subway: "First of all, we never had this conversation"... so dumb!

I would rate this movie with a 3/5


What did you like or dislike from this movie? What would you rate this movie?


Enjoy it!... Watch it!

0 comments

Post a Comment

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Recent Tweets

Follow 35mmReviews on Twitter