Z-Grade Revenge Thrills in Law Abiding Citizen

A A A Comments (5) By Robert Wilonsky Tuesday, Oct 13 2009

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Law Abiding Citizen
Directed by F. Gary Gray
Overture Films
Opens October 16

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The movie wastes no time: Before the opening credits, a man watches two home invaders slaughter his wife and daughter—and we don't even know their names. Then: Deals are cut, the murderer walks while his less culpable accomplice is sentenced to death, and the dad wonders, "But what about justice?" And then: A decade passes, dad has seen a Saw or two, and it's retribution time. Everyone must pay, even the innocent. So much for our sympathy for the leading man, who happens to be Gerard Butler in yet another questionable role. Director F. Gary Gray and writer Kurt Wimmer peddle cheap, graphic Z-grade revenge thrills dressed up as Knowing Sociopolitical Commentary—as in, the justice system's rotten, so let's blow up, then gut, then roast again the whole sumbitch and start from scratch. Jamie Foxx's prosecutor (smug, a slow learner) gets a front-row seat to the explosion, as Butler's Clyde Shelton goes behind bars and into solitary confinement, from where, somehow, he is capable of inflicting enough damage and carnage to terrorize the whole of Philadelphia. Clyde won't stop speechifying about doing bad things in the name of the greater good. If the filmmakers meant a word of it, they'd quit making films and do something more useful. Saw with a conscience is not what the world needs.

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Tony Rivers 12/22/2010 6:11:00 PM

You make excellent points, Becca, but itI believe it will fall on deaf ears, since you addressed it to a critic. In fact, I am 65 years of age, and can not recall when a critic has reviewed an action film for what it actually is: sensory entertainment. I agree with you, wholeheartedly, about Gerard Butler, a superstar of epic proportions. It's a shame much of the industry obviously doesn't get it. As for me, I look for Gerard Butler films, because I happen to think he is among the best actors out there.
Tony Rivers 12/22/2010 6:01:00 PM

"Saw with a conscience is not what the world needs" Okay, so now movie critics know best what the world needs? Perhaps that's why you viewed Law Abiding Citizen with such a jaundiced eye. In fact, there were no real depictions of violence and gore, because we really didn't see them; not even the first example, when Clyde evidently cut up the first murderer of his wife and child into pieces. Perhaps that's why so many ordinary viewers loved the flick, including me, as much as you disliked it. You state: "If the filmmakers meant a word of it, they'd quit making films and do something more useful." Perhaps one might suggest the same for you?
Glenda 10/29/2010 4:05:00 AM

I really liked the movie. I don't understand how people get a general idea of how the movie would be made; or what the movie is basically about, by reading what the story is about reading the cover on the DVD and still go on to watch the movie any way. They obviously don't know about how in real life women and child are tortured like that in other counties today. Are they that naive? People are being tortured like that here in the United Stated. What is wrong with them not to know about those sick and crazy people out there in this world who do such sick and disgusting bodily harm to to people? This is a sick world we live in... These kind of people are out there making it that way. Good and innocent people are getting preyed upon everyday.
de-liberatedmind 10/17/2009 11:09:00 AM

The ingenuity and complexity of suspense in this film is refreshing, as is equally the plot. It has been a long time since a first-class, nail biting, on the edge of your seat, intelligent macabre suspense story and film on the scale of Silence of the Lambs and Se7en was made. Law Abiding Citizen came close in plot and suspense, but missed the boat. Kudos to F. Gary Gray for a good attempt. BUT, unlike Silence of the Lambs and Se7en, Law Abiding Citizen will likely not even garner one industry nomination, let alone a win. Too bad F. Gary Gray, screenwriter Kurt Wimmer and the host of producers decidedly chose the easy route to opt to make a low-budget almost-but-not-quite-good [hopefully] money maker rather than work smarter not harder to create a low-budget classic-award-winning film. Such a wasted opportunity. The film plot has extraordinary potential. Wow, it�s too bad that the film instead is glued together with ridiculous amateur scenes [like the prosecutor publically shaking hands with the convicted accomplice in the slaying of a mother and her child] and injected with simplified unintriguing clich�ialogue [like, �if you even think about touching my family� . . . WHAT?] Now Hollywood machinery will crank out a dozen or so formulaic versions of a could-have-been-great-film and we consumers can be reminded again why we stopped going to movies.
Becca 10/15/2009 1:03:00 AM

You write that this is "another questionable role" for Gerard Butler. What would you have him do? Do you have a great script for him? I am so very tired of you critics blasting the acting role choices of this actor. Frankly, there aren't very many good scripts in Hollywood right now. The few that are out there always go to George Clooney or Brad Pitt. You should know that! The people that have seen early showings of "Law Abiding Citizen" absolutely love it and have said that it's very exciting and keeps you on the edge of your seat. Gerard Butler is a fantastic actor who has much passion and is mesmerising on the big screen. Why do critics cut him down? Jealous because he's so good looking? I don't understand you critics - moviegoers are listening to you less and less and making up their own minds when it comes to watching movies. Becca