Law Abiding Citizen

Rating: 9/10 (17 October 2009)

I was expecting a lot from Law Abiding Citizen and I'm happy to say I wasn't disappointed. It was action packed and full of twists and turns from start to finish.
Within the first 5 minutes I had goosebumps and was overcome with strong emotions as a family is brutally destroyed in the blink of an eye. I then found myself outraged at the "justice" served partially because there hadn't even been a moments respite from the horrific opening scene but also because it showed an all too real flaw in our legal system that many people are forced to swallow on a daily basis. Good people die and murderers are set free knowing they will more than likely go on to do it all again. And this was just the beginning!
From this point, LAC takes you on a roller coaster ride though the story that keeps you guessing and on the edge of your seat right up until the end of the movie. I thought F. Gary Gray did a wonderful job as a director on this movie. The complexity involved throughout the entire process of making this movie is evident. Yes, ultimately this is just a movie meant to entertain, but there were so many different levels. Some things that stood out to me most were: - Obviously, the butt kicking! - Gerard Butler's character, Clyde, seamlessly goes from being a husband, father and trusting law abiding citizen to a calculating killer himself with a point to prove. Gerard Butler's performance in this movie is phenomenal! He sucks you in immediately so that you understand and feel his pain and heartbreak but in the next breath he completely puts up a wall and shuts you out so that your only option is to watch, guess and wait for his next move (not to mention to be thankful he's not after you.) Even as he emotionally shuts you out and his pain becomes his own, he remains truthful and you quickly realize Clyde literally means every word he speaks. One moment this was especially clear is when he says he is going to bring the palace down on top of Nick's (Jamie Foxx) head who soon finds himself with City Hall about to come crashing down on top of him. - The robotic and often times self serving actions of those in power. So quickly they are willing to make a deal with a criminal or try to pawn them off on someone else so that they don't have to worry about being seen in a negative light. (These people are the true sociopaths in my opinion!) - Jamie Foxx brilliantly brings life to character who forgets the important things in life as he focuses on the success of his career. Being the best at his job is his top priority even if it means the needs of the people he is supposed to serve and his family are forgotten. He can't even remember the names of the murderers he's freed! - The interaction and banter between Gerard and Jamie is very entertaining and often humorous in a humorless situation. The tragic hero vs. the anti hero. Who do you root for? Are you sure?
I highly recommend this film to all. It will not only get your adrenaline pumping, but also rips away your preconceived notions of right and wrong and leaves your senses naked with nothing to hide behind (just as Gerard Butler's character strips himself bare after everything he knows, trusts and loves is taken from him). It will force you too look at uncomfortable truths no matter how much you want to look away. I don't believe this movie is meant to make you want to go out and fight the system or even make you think you can repair it's flaws (Hello...it's a movie!), but it should make you realize that you can't expect someone else to deal with an ugly situation just so you can be the good guy. We all make our own decisions on how we're going to deal with the hand we've been given. Can you honestly lay your head down at night and say you did what was morally right even if it isn't what's best or most convenient for you? I would say most of us can't.