Movie: Law Abiding Citizen (DVD)

I didn't have the chance to see this in theaters. Mostly because the theater nearby has a policy of getting movies I want to see late----or never----and this was one of them. That being said, I finally got to see the movie last night. And it was, overall, decent. And awesomely funny.

First, the movie is about Clive Shelton, (played by Gerard Butler from 300 and The Ugly Truth), a man whose wife and daughter are killed by thugs, and the husband seeks revenge. One of the thugs does not get the penalty that Shelton believes he deserves, and it's all down hill from here----cue New Found Glory?

Generic enough plot, yes. I'll give you that. But each of Butler's movies has had at least some degrees of good to them, and this movie was no exception. The plot takes a unique twist in that it is not only a revenge flick, but a screw-you-Justice-system movie.

Now, the movie does a great job of blurring the lines of good and evil in its characters, which is nice because the creation of the movie parallels its themes. Which is smart, thumbs up. I cheered for Butler the entire time, but his tortures and murders might lead you to other feelings. Jamie Foxx starred as Nick Rice, the one unknowingly behind Butler's...shall we say...frustration?...who is caught in the middle of everything as Shelton systematically destroys the system that failed him. Oh, wait...I forgot...Shelton is in jail the entire time that people are dying...

Hmm...how does that work?

Well, that's where the best part of the movie takes place: the writing. I loved the dialogue, for one, and even predictable scenes were well executed and new-ish. Particularly, Shelton's desire to "make deals" is hilarious. But at the core of the movie, the message really takes over. It forces us to look at everything the justice system does, who it punishes, who it doesn't.

...And then the end of the movie says, "Forget this."

Because the end of the movie is absolutely the worst part. Hands down, no exceptions. I love movies that are trying to make a point, and Law Abiding Citizen was doing just that, until the ending ground the message into confetti, sprinkling it over the viewer. I picture it saying, "How's this for a message?"----but I'm not sure if that is entirely accurate.

My conclusion is that the writing was great, Butler soars above Foxx, but I mean c'mon...who didn't see that coming? From the guy who just released a song about date rape (called "Blame It"), what more can you expect? And, finally, the ending of the movie sucked. That's about the only way I can put it without ruining it for you.

In conclusion:
"Law Abiding Citizen"
Overall rating: 3 out of 5

Comment on this post; let me know what you think.

Source: iMDB.com