Law Abiding Citizen: Challenges the system and imaginations

Rating: 7/10 (18 October 2009)

As justice too often goes, so go movies about justice. The law abiding citizen does not always win. But then, what does it take to win? Do we know when we have won? Some call it "good enough" while others who feel cheated define justice their own way. Law Abiding Citizen was just that. One man's definition does not agree with the system's definition and now one man steps up to challenge the system because he can and he is mad.
Gerard Butler, in my opinion, pulls off the best performance of his career. A monstrous Dracula, a misunderstood phantom and one ticked off warrior among Persians could not stand up to the anger this 21st century man used to overpower a system gone wrong. He was able to display that anger in a way I do not believe many others could have equalled.
People who will like this movie will be those who feels justice has too often gone awry and needs adjusting and also those who pull for the underdog.
As good as the story was and as good as performances were for the most part, the movie disappoints in the end. An exciting concept of one man fighting the system so ruthlessly met an early, anti-climax. The ending was rushed either because the end result could not be either conceived or possibly achieved.
The system wins but the citizen scores to satisfaction. 7/10