Review: Law Abiding Citizen

Revenge is the hot topic this year at the movies. We started it off with Liam Neeson on a mad hunt killing-spree when his daughter was kidnapped in Taken. Then we moved on to the more graphic Last House on the Left where Monica Potter and Tony Goldwyn tortured and killed the gang that raped their daughter. And now we have Law Abiding Citizen starring Gerard Butler as a regular guy who takes justice in his own hands after his wife and daughter are murdered in front of him.

The film opens with Clyde Shelton (Butler) being victimized in a home invasion where junkie robbers Darby (Christian Stolte) and Ames (Josh Stewart) burst in, stab him repeatedly, and then murder his wife (Brooke Mills) and daughter (Ksenia Hulayev) while he helplessly watches. It quickly moves to the trial of the men and Assistant D.A. Nick Rice (Jamie Foxx) trying to bargain with Darby in order to skip trial and get the death penalty for Ames and a lesser sentence for Darby. Shelton wants a trial for both men (especially Darby as he also raped his wife before murdering her) so that justice will be served. Against his wishes, Rice moves ahead with the deal.

Skip forward 10 years. Darby has been free for years and it’s execution time for Ames. As the lethal injection is administered, it quickly becomes evident that the “painless injection” is anything but and the scene turns into something from a horror film as he dies a violent death.

The police automatically suspect Darby as the only person that would tamper with the injection device and issue a warrant for his arrest, although the audience knows that Shelton is behind it – and he’s already picked up Darby. In a scene reminiscent of an episode of Dexter, Shelton straps Darby down to a table in an abandoned warehouse, tortures him and cuts off his limbs with a power saw.

Eventually Rice concludes that Shelton is behind the tampering and Darby’s brutal death and he is arrested. While imprisoned, Shelton plays with Rice: he taunts him for making deals with criminals and requests absurd things (like a special mattress for his cell) and warns that more people will die. Sure enough, more people start to die while he is locked up. Shelton, you see, is a master inventor of small explosive devices and, as one characters says, if he wants you dead, you’re dead. He gets the bad guys out of the way and now he’s cleaning up city hall to make a point.

There are a lot of things to like about Law Abiding Citizen. Butler, for one, has finally delivered a role as good as his turn in 300. You sympathize with his character and yet you cheer for him when he’s on his rampage. Director F. Gary Gray also deserves kudos for not holding back. Along the lines of the 2003 Vin Diesal film A Man Apart (which Gray also directed), he gives the audience what they want to see – payback in the harshest way. The supporting cast is good too, especially Leslie Bibb who plays Rice’s assistant Sarah. She’s got talent and I expect we’ll see a lot more of her over the next few years.

On the downside is Foxx. He was great in Ray and The Soloist but I just can’t buy him in this. His ego shows and he doesn’t seem interested in being part of the film. A lesser-known actor might have been better cast in this role.

If you’re a fan of shows like Dexter or movies like Taken then this is a must-see. It will make your blood boil and you will stand up and cheer for Shelton when he seeks his vengeance. As far as revenge thrillers go it’s one of the best.

*** out of 5 stars

Rated R
Cast: Gerard Butler, Jaime Foxx, Leslie Bibb
Directed by: F. Gary Gray
Official Site IMDb

brian.mckechnie@citynews.rogers.com

ALSO OPENING THIS WEEK: Where the Wild Things Are, A Serious Man, The Damned United, The Stepfather, The Burning Plain, Taqwacore, Good Hair

Top image: Jamie Foxx and Gerard Butler in Law Abiding Citizen. Courtesy Alliance Films.