Review of Law Abiding Citizen (2009) by Gordon R — 06 Feb 2015

Directed by F. Gary Gray (The Negotiator (1998), The Italian Job (2003) and Be Cool (2005)), and written by Kurt Wimmer (Equilibrium (2002), Ultraviolet (2004) and Salt (2010)), this is a violent legal thriller which on the surface, looks like it's taken it's inspiration from the Death Wish films, but underneath, it's a very intelligent and complex thriller, even though it's a vigilante revenge film.

When Clyde Alexander Shelton (Gerard Butler) witnesses his wife and daughter getting killed before his eyes by thugs Clarence James Darby (Christian Stolte) and Rupert Ames (Josh Stewart), he wants to see justice done.

But when Prosecutor Nick Rice (Jamie Foxx) is unable to bring up any DNA evidence, he cuts a deal with Darby to testify against Ames. Shelton is furious about this going on behind his back, and 10 years later, when Ames is finally executed, and it's botched badly.

Rice is curious to know how this happened, and then Darby ends up dead too. Shelton is arrested, but claims they have no evidence, but he knows something. It could have been a sleazy mess, but this has the benefit of having an intriguing and mysterious plot, which all makes sense in the end.

While the plot might seem ridiculous after you've watched the film, it's good fun to watch, and there's a lot of violent deaths on display and some well staged moments of action.