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Movie Review

Law Abiding Citizen (2009) Movie Review

First Reaction – Law Abiding Citizen is one of the best thrillers with a massive moral question.

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Director: F. Gary Gray

Writer: Kurt Wimmer (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: A frustrated man decides to take justice into his own hands after a plea bargain sets one of his family’s killers free.

Runtime: 1 Hour 49 Minutes 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Law Abiding Citizen starts when Clyde Shelton’s (Butler) family is brutally attacked and murdered by home invaders. Clyde survives the attack, but ambitious lawyer Nick Rice (Foxx) decides to take a plea agreement, letting one of the killers off lightly.

10-years-later one of the killer’s execution goes wrong and Clyde butchers the one who walked out of prison. He even sends the video to Nick as he starts his catalyst for revenge on the system that did his family wrong.

Recap

The movie follows a husband and father whose wife and children are murdered. He isn’t happy a lawyer takes a plea bargain and decides to tackle the whole system to prove his point.

Best Parts

This movie shines by having a conversation about who is in the right. We have a man who doesn’t get a choice in a court case and a lawyer who only cares about his conviction rates. When the clash, we see people involved picked off and Clyde doing everything he learnt from Nick to stay ahead of the game. It keeps you on edge as you wonder how the plan has been put together and what you would do in the same situation if someone did that to your loved ones. I believe this is one of Gerard Butler’s best performances and alongside Jamie Foxx we get an excellent battle.

Worst Parts

I don’t like the ending of the movie, but we won’t get into that.

Final ThoughtsLaw Abiding Citizen is a fantastic thriller that never relents.

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Movie Review

My Week in Film (8th August – 15 August 2019)

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Movie Review

Law Abiding Citizen (2009)

Director: F. Gary Gray
Starring; Jamie Foxx, Gerard Butler, Colm Meaney, Bruce McGill, Leslie Bibb, Michael Irby, Gregory Itzin, Regina Hall, Emerald-Angel Young, Christian Stolte, Annie Corley, Richard Portnow, Viola Davis, Josh Stewart

While simply looking after his daughter and getting ready for the family meal a door bell rings and Clyde Shelton (Gerard Butler) answers the door only to get attacking by two men restrained and beaten the men move into the house killing his wife and young daughter. Clarence Darby (Christian Stolte) and Rupert Ames (Josh Stewart) are caught and taken to a trial. Hot shot lawyer Nick Rice (Jamie Foxx) is offered a deal which gives him his guarantee success rate which is all that matters to him. This deal with Clarence means Rupert is put to death while he goes free after three years in jail. Clyde is less than impressed but has little choice but to accept.

Ten years down the line Rupert Ames is about to be executed and Nick and his mentor Jonas Cantrell (Bruce McGill) and his new apprentice Sarah Lowell (Leslie Bibb) all go to view, only something goes wrong leading to a less human death for Ames. The police go after Clarence thinking he might know or be involved in the crime only for him to be given an escape by a mystery police man who turned out to be Clyde. Clyde ends up butchering Clarence and filming it.

Police then arrest Clyde Nick questions Clyde only for Clyde to use a play on words to sound guilty but never actually admitting anything. The Tape Clyde filmed was sent to Nicks Family his wife Kelly (Regina Hall) and daughter Denise (Emerald-Angel Young) who watch it only for the tape to reveal no image of the murderer. On to the bail hearing where Clyde gets Judge Laura Burch (Annie Corley) to grant bail with legal material he has learnt himself. Only to laugh and shove it in her face question how they can let someone accused of murder free.

Clyde is now in jail waiting for trial but starts offering deals to Nick if these deals are not met people involved in the original case will die, will Nick continue to take the deals or not? who will be the ones to suffer for Nick’s pride and Clyde revenge.

The Story will keep you on the edge of your seat and also keep you question who to cheer for as Nick is by the book not getting hands dirty guy while Clyde is trying to bring the justice system down so there are no more deals. I personally cheer for Clyde as his character sums up the feeling anyone who had something similar happen to them would drive them to the edge.

My overall rating is a perfect action thriller 93%