Law Abiding Citizen (2009) (R)
Directed by F. Gary Gray
Starring: Jamie Foxx, Gerard Butler, Viola Davis, Bruce McGill
Daughter Says:
Law Abiding Citizen was about a man who wanted revenge for his wife and daughter's death after a break-in gone wrong. Clyde Shelton, played by Gerard Butler, isn't happy with his lawyer Nick Rice's decision on the case at hand. Soon Shelton takes matters into his own hands. He finds the murderer who killed his family and cuts the man up into a million pieces then kills him. Clyde gets caught on purpose so Nick Rice, played by Jamie Foxx, has to stop the guy from killing all the people involved in the case.
Directed by F. Gary Gray
Starring: Jamie Foxx, Gerard Butler, Viola Davis, Bruce McGill
Daughter Says:
Law Abiding Citizen was about a man who wanted revenge for his wife and daughter's death after a break-in gone wrong. Clyde Shelton, played by Gerard Butler, isn't happy with his lawyer Nick Rice's decision on the case at hand. Soon Shelton takes matters into his own hands. He finds the murderer who killed his family and cuts the man up into a million pieces then kills him. Clyde gets caught on purpose so Nick Rice, played by Jamie Foxx, has to stop the guy from killing all the people involved in the case.
Even though Shelton is in jail, he keeps figuring out how to kill all of these people. I felt like this movie went from revenge to insane. The guy I thought we were supposed to be cheering for goes bad and the lawyer was bad then goes good, I don't know who I'm supposed to like and who I'm supposed to hate.
This movie was a bit predictable and dull, I guess. There were just so many things that could have been fixed or done better. Overall this movie was alright, but not one I want to see again so...
My rating for Law Abiding Citizen is **.
Daddy Says:
I really wanted to like this movie. It has two very likable actors in the lead roles: Gerard Butler and Jamie Foxx. I've liked them in other roles, and they seemed to be trying their best here, so I'm left to conclude that they were let down by other aspects of the film. And I think we can put the blame squarely on the shoulders of the screenwriter here.
To start with, we're not given a chance to get to know Shelton's family more than about a minute before the doorbell rings and the bad guy starts swinging his baseball bat. The home invasion is intense, but because we don't know who these people are, it's hard to care about what's happening to them. The best we can do is say "What would we do if this happened to us?". I think that's where the screenplay was going, but Clyde's character goes so far overboard (we're talking Saw territory here), that we no longer identify with him. And since we've never identified with his lawyer (Jamie Foxx is a very likable actor, but his character here is so one-dimensional there's nothing to care about), we're left with no one to root for.
I suppose there should be some interest in trying to figure out how Clyde is killing people from behind bars, but, trust me, when the answer comes, you'll be shaking your head with disbelief. I really wanted to like this movie. I just couldn't care enough about it to do so.
Rating for Law Abiding Citizen: *1/4
Daddy Says:
I really wanted to like this movie. It has two very likable actors in the lead roles: Gerard Butler and Jamie Foxx. I've liked them in other roles, and they seemed to be trying their best here, so I'm left to conclude that they were let down by other aspects of the film. And I think we can put the blame squarely on the shoulders of the screenwriter here.
To start with, we're not given a chance to get to know Shelton's family more than about a minute before the doorbell rings and the bad guy starts swinging his baseball bat. The home invasion is intense, but because we don't know who these people are, it's hard to care about what's happening to them. The best we can do is say "What would we do if this happened to us?". I think that's where the screenplay was going, but Clyde's character goes so far overboard (we're talking Saw territory here), that we no longer identify with him. And since we've never identified with his lawyer (Jamie Foxx is a very likable actor, but his character here is so one-dimensional there's nothing to care about), we're left with no one to root for.
I suppose there should be some interest in trying to figure out how Clyde is killing people from behind bars, but, trust me, when the answer comes, you'll be shaking your head with disbelief. I really wanted to like this movie. I just couldn't care enough about it to do so.
Rating for Law Abiding Citizen: *1/4
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