Law Abiding Citizen

Starring: Jamie Foxx, Gerard Butler, Colm Meaney, Bruce McGill, Leslie Bibb, Regina Hall, Viola Davis
Directed by: F. Gary Gray
Rating: R
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
2009

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: After witnessing the murder of his wife and daughter, Clyde Shelton (Gerard Butler) is horrified to learn the prosecutor (Jamie Foxx) has made a deal which saves one of the murderers much jail time. Convinced the system is flawed, Clyde decides to take matters into his own hands and bring the whole system down.

Review:

Tim: I can't remember the last time I watched a movie that had me so thoroughly engaged, excited, and intrigued, and then completely lost me in the film's closing minutes. Most of this film is an intense, intelligent thriller. I was able to suspend my disbelief and go along for the ride. The whole idea of this movie didn't really appeal to me from the outset, but early on, I became convinced of the film's merits. I saw some flashes of genius, and was really enjoying the movie. It seemed to be building towards an unforgettable conclusion. And then, the movie completely falls apart. The conclusion is so devoid of logic, and is so out of character with the rest of the film that it nearly derails the movie.

The conclusion to this film felt like the writers simply ran out of ideas and decided to wrap the movie up as quickly as possible, logic be damned. The movie's pacing is so good up to that point- it moves at a quick pace, hitting all the right notes between the dramatic and the action-oriented. And then, the messy conclusion starts, and the movie ends- leaving us horribly disappointed.

The reason for this disappointment is because of how strong the first hour or so of the movie is. Jamie Foxx and Gerard Butler were absolutely the right choices here. Jamie Foxx wisely gives a subdued, more quiet performance. I was glad he showed some restraint in the role. Gerard Butler is excellent as the film's somewhat sympathetic villain. I found myself rooting for him. He is portrayed as this ultra-intelligent tactician, who is always one step ahead of everyone else (which also makes the conclusion all the more head-scratching). I really liked Butler and Foxx, and believe that they worked very well together.

I was surprised by how exciting and intense of a movie F. Gary Gray delivered. There is a real cat-and-mouse game between Foxx and Butler, and some of the murders are delivered in truly shocking fashion. There is a good amount of action here, but the emotional, dramatic moments are even better. I loved Butler's line- "It's going to be Biblical."

As I've said, for most of this movie, I was utterly convinced I was watching something special. I even thought this movie was approaching greatness. And then, the movie fizzles out- almost as if the writers just gave up. The conclusion is completely unsatisfying. While this greatly hurt the movie, I still think this film did a great deal right. While this movie could have been much better, it was still fairly good, even with the disappointing conclusion.



Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



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