MPAA Rating: R/ Genre: Vigilante Action Thriller/Stars: Jamie Foxx, Gerard Butler, Viola Davis, Bruce McGill, Leslie Bibb, Colm Meaney, Regina Hall, Michael Kelly, Michael Irby, Roger Bart, Christian Stolte, Gregory Itzin, Emerald-Angel Young, Annie Corley, Richard Portnow, Josh Stewart/Runtime: 109 minutes
I think it is safe to say that if you made the choice to combine together the Saw horror movie franchise alongside that one TV show which aired on Fox at one time called Prison Break in order to see if you could make a feature film hybrid of the two then I think it is a fairly safe bet that one of the possible slices of cinema you might get as a result would be the film I am reviewing today, 2009’s Law Abiding Citizen. Yet despite the fact that the core hook to this film is one that, in terms of concept, might appear to be one that at first blush is not only one that might raise a few eyebrows in how crazy and even full-on ridiculous it is, this slice of cinema from film helmer F. Gary Gray actually does something remarkable. Namely that this slice of cinema is one that manages to buck those odds straight to the curb and operate fairly well in several significant ways thanks in large part to a script that is complicated enough to warrant investigation yet also relatively easy for movie goers to follow, fantastic performances from a truly game cast, and a tempo that is perfectly in synch with the kind of movie that it is operating within. Having said all of that however, I can definitely see why a lot of you may make the choice to not give this slice of cinema the benefit of the doubt. By that I mean yes this slice of cinema is intriguing and will leave you on the edge of your seat at moments, but by the same token there is also a significant degree of needing to place your disbelief in a cabinet in your mind, lock it, and then conveniently forget where you placed the key for a couple of hours. Key words there being a couple of hours and not the rest of your life. Indeed this idea was the one that was the reason the Saw movies have resonated so well with their target audience and the Prison Break show did as well as it did during its time on the air. With that in mind, I guess it shouldn’t be too surprising to learn this aspect also transitions over to this slice of cinema. Suffice it to say that the concept might be significantly lacking in the logistics arena, but this is still a slice of cinema that I can definitely classify as a fun rainy-day kind of movie in every sense of the word.
The plot is as follows: Law Abiding Citizen gets its riveting puzzler of a narrative underway as we are taken to the city of Philadelphia and introduced to a seemingly ordinary guy by the name of Clyde Shelton at the tail end of another day that he is spending with his little girl and his wife whom he loves more than anything else in this world. Unfortunately for Clyde, this is not the end of our story, but rather the beginning. A fact that soon rears its tragic head when a pair of assailants swiftly break into their home and, despite Clyde’s best efforts, kill his wife and daughter in cold blood before fleeing into the night. Yet we soon see what looks to be a genuinely heartless tragedy become even more heart wrenching when, despite Clyde being able to positively I.D. his attackers as a Clarence Darby and a Rupert Ames respectively, the man in charge of prosecuting them and ensuring that they face justice, one Nick Rice, has made the seemingly shocking choice to not go after both of these men with the long arm of the law after all. Instead, Nick has decided he will give Darby a little bit of a break since Darby has agreed to testify against Ames despite Clyde repeatedly telling him Ames was merely the accomplice and it was Darby who actually committed the deeds against his wife and daughter. Be that as it may be, we see that Rice is successful in court, Clyde is left to disappear into the shadows, and Ames is found guilty and sentenced to die. Picking up a solid decade later we see that Ames is finally set to be executed for his actions. However, things soon take a dark turn when the injection doesn’t go all that well and Ames dies a fairly agonizing and elongated demise. We soon discover with Nick that the machine had been tampered with and the evidence for who could have been behind it seems to point to Darby. Yet just as it looks like he’s about to be picked up for some serious questioning, we see that Darby is “saved” due in large part to an enigmatic individual calling and warning him of the police presence headed to his apartment. Yet what may have started out as relief for Mr. Darby soon turns to soul-curdling terror when he finds out that the voice that saved his life is that of Shelton who then proceeds in his own visceral way to have a “conversation” with the guy. Yet despite the police detaining him shortly thereafter, we soon see that Clyde is not finished. Not even close. That’s because his real target is neither Ames nor Darby, but Nick. Indeed, Clyde is desiring to show Nick in his own twisted way the meaning of justice by going after and dismantling the entire system that he feels let him and the memory of his wife and child down. Thus, as the body count begins to rise, we see Nick desperately try to figure out not only how Clyde is pulling all of this off despite being confined to a prison cell, but also how he can hope to stop a man who is seemingly one step ahead of him every step of the way……
Now it might not be in any way shape, form, or fashion a perfect slice of cinema by any means, but there is no denying that Law Abiding Citizen still manages to function as a film that is meant to just entertain you albeit with the caveats involved that you not only possess a wee bit of brain power to both comprehend as well as come to grips with its quite intricate narrative. Indeed this is most assuredly not some run of the mill entry in the law enforcement thriller subgenre though I can definitely understand how you might be inclined to believe so. Instead, this slice of cinema makes the choice to showcase for you something that is by and large fairly distinct from a lot of other films of a similar ilk and thankfully that distinct style never fades as the movie makes its way through everything from moments made to make you get emotional to moments that will have you either on the edge of your seat or wincing at just what is unfolding before you. At the core of this entire film though is a component consisting of a brilliantly weaved and perfectly beaten narrative that, much like our main character, throws you face first in the center of a truly befuddled and anarchic situation whilst revealing things to you about the man causing said befuddlement and anarchy and proving to be successful at every curve in the road despite the fact that he is in prison. Indeed one of the best positives that this film has going for it is in the fact that the creative minds behind the camera have blessed it with the talent to time and time again find new ways to surprise you as it goes. Thus, we see that just when it might look like all is well again or that the grand scheme has had a cork put in it, the film permits Clyde to reveal another trick up his sleeve in such a manner that it keeps things brilliantly intense from beginning to end. As a result, this is one slice of cinema that I can promise you will surprise you at points, will startle you at others, and will even leave your mind consistently unsure as to just how it is going to end and what is going to become of the cast of characters at the heart of this living nightmare.
Now besides the fairly good aforementioned attributes from behind the camera, this slice of cinema is also able to benefit from a pair of wonderful lead actors doing some good work in front of the camera as well. Those performers being the dynamic duo of Jamie Foxx and Gerard Butler in the lead roles of Nick and Clyde respectively and together the two are absolutely electric. Indeed not only are they great in the back and forth they have with each other throughout the film, but the pair also really do great at slightly subverting your expectations for their characters by making them a hero who’s not entirely heroic and a villain who you can’t help but empathize with and even agree with on some level respectively. A positive that the film helps to wonderfully showcase courtesy of giving both these men areas where they are better than each other, areas where they might falter, but even crucially a fallibility and drive to ensure their way of dealing with what is going on is the victor in this heated battle of wills. Now I know Jamie Foxx is a wonderfully charismatic and talented actor and there are performances of his I really do like. At the same time though, it really does feel like he is just going through the motions at times in this though that could also be because he is saddled with playing the predictable arc of the workaholic attorney who cares more about results than seeing justice done only to be placed in a situation directly caused as a result of choices he has made which really puts him through the wringer and hopefully by film’s end shows him what is truly most important in life. Yet despite not being as fleshed out or even as vividly characterized as Butler’s take on Clyde, Foxx in the role of Nick still does manage to do a fairly good job in the part all the same. As for Butler however I’m just going to say that he has the meatier role of the duo (most likely because he was a producer on this) and in the role of Clyde is absolutely downright chilling and intimidating in the best way. I mean I’m not kidding when I say that if they ever decided to square this guy off against Jigsaw from the Saw movies I might be legitimately worried for Jigsaw’s safety by the end of it. With that being said however, this film does do a couple of things that are incredibly curious with the character of Clyde that is not too dissimilar from Jigsaw. That being that yes, he is definitely the villain of this piece and yes what he is doing to people is undeniably horrible and he should be punished for it. At the same time though, you definitely understand where this guy is coming from (seeing him tragically lose his loved ones at the beginning of the film) and the points he is making about the justice system are tragically accurate. The second is that, without spoiling the Saw movies, this movie really doesn’t present Clyde as a legit threat the first time you see him. Instead, he just seems like a realistic and good-hearted guy that is as likely to seriously hurt you as the cute little bracelet his daughter makes him. However, the moment things hit the proverbial fan, his life changed forever, and his twisted game of vengeance begin to play out, Butler manages to take the previously kinda dweeby guy we saw and transform him into a stone-cold individual who will not stop until those who wronged him get what he feels they deserve for their failings. Suffice it to say that Butler does a wonderful job at taking a guy who could have just been another psychotic homicidal maniac and transforming him into someone who is a lot more nuanced and insightful than we normally see in a film of this ilk.
All in all and at the end of the day dear reader, the slice of cinema that is Law Abiding Citizen is a fairly intelligent and distinct entry in the thriller genre of movie magic that may segue over into the lane of entirely ridiculous quite a bit, but darn it all if it isn’t also a good bit of perversely twisted fun along the way. Indeed, imagine if one of the more recent Saw entries (so anything past 2 and maybe 3 if I’m being really generous) if they made the choice to not really give audiences as much in the way of grisly content and more in terms of actually making you try to use your brain cells (rather than shed them out with a drill) to say nothing of providing a narrative structure that was constructed fairly well. Yes, as previously stated, the vast majority of this slice of cinema may function with a level of ridiculousness that can’t really be overlooked no matter how hard you try. Even with that in the back of the mind however, it should also be said that this slice of cinema also manages to function as a twistedly creative viewing experience that I feel will not only keeping you guessing from beginning to end, but also place you headfirst in a world of wickedly delightful absurdity. Thus when you also are able to factor in fairly competent work being conducted from behind the camera to say nothing of solid acting from both Gerard Butler and Jamie Foxx as well as a fairly well-chosen support cast backing them up, I can easily say that although Law Abiding Citizen is one slice of cinema that is by no means the kind that would be called up to receive their prize for anything come awards season, it is also a good way to just sit back and be engrossed in for a couple of hours and truth be told sometimes that’s really all you need from a movie dear reader. Make of that what thou will. On a scale of 1-5 I give Law Abiding Citizen “09” a solid 3 out of 5.
