When Clyde Shelton (Gerard Butler) looses his wife and only child to a brutal murderer, his only request is for justice. Lawyer Nick RIce (Jamie Foxx) fears that if the case goes to court it will hinder his near-perfect conviction rate due to lack of substantial evidence and makes a deal that sends one suspect to deathrow and has the other (the one who actually committed the unthinkable crimes) back on the streets in a mere three years.
Shelton is understandably baffled and broken by this decision and spends the next ten years meticulously planning justice in his own way. What follows is fun for the movie-goer at times, if not slow and confusing at others. The creativity of the screenplay and production shines through as Shelton attempts to bring down the Philadelphia judicial system from behind the bars of a maximum security prison in new and gruesome ways. From early on, the movie creates a sense of suspense that will have your jaw tight, fists clenched, wondering when and how Shelton will strike next.
The suspense and action may be enough to pull Law Abiding Citizen out of its pit of mediocrity but, unfortunately, not enough to go much further than that. The movie is plagued by a slow-moving plot that picks up towards the end and the explanation for Shelton's vengeful murders is quite preposterous and will most make you stop and think 'hold on, that's not right.' For better or for worse, this state of puzzlement won't come until you're about ready to leave the theatre and up until then the movie at least does a good job of making you want to know his methods.
There are parts of the plot that reek of Hollywood convenience (the fact that Shelton used to be intelligence for the CIA and a mysterious former colleague comes forth to help with Rice's investigation, for instance) and others that put Shelton into that same category of villains who seem to be psychic to their victims' every move.These elements are forgivable, if not expected, given the thrilling ride that coats it all, just be sure to leave your thinking caps at home.
Both Butler and Foxx give believable and sympathetic roles. The juxtaposition of Butler, the loving father and husband who lost everything, and Foxx, a success-driven lawyer who is in sudden constant fear for his own family, lend for substantial character development. There's nothing oscar-winning here as Foxx and Butler interact in this weird game of cat and mouse, but nothing to scoff at either.
At the end of the day, most viewers will look back on Law Abiding Citizen with mixed feelings about its plot, ending, and moral messages, yet with a consensus that the flick served its purpose (and maybe would have been more at home as a summer release) and was worth the price of admission.
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