Law Reviling Citizen

Rating: 6/10 (20 July 2010)

As a Philadelphian, I watched Law Abiding Citizen with great interest. The film does exert extreme care to accurately portray our town. The story begins with great promise, and one almost thinks that it will avoid the worn out clichÃ©s of the 'out for vengeance' and 'super criminal' genres. In the final analysis, however, it stretches our suspension of belief too far.
Borrowing a page from Shawshank Redemption, LAC takes what was in that great film a moderate suspension of belief regarding tunneling out of a prison to a totally unbelievable one about tunneling into one. In the end, Hollywood could just not resist the outrageous action film stunts, and the good cast of Jamie Foxx, Gerard Butler, and Colm Meaney are helpless to make us feel as if we are watching anything other than a gory and violent cartoon. If you watch, leave your mind at the door.
Many reviewers here have commented that our 'hero', Clyde, would have been held in a county jail rather than a fortress-like prison, as shown. First off, Philadelphia IS a county (unto itself), and DOES have at least two fortress-like county jails that look exactly like the prison shown: the one I think it shows most often is called House of Correction (aka Pennypack House). Second, these jails have solitary confinement blocks and do house inmates awaiting trial.
If you are from Philly, this movie is a must-see. Otherwise, it is strictly for fans of mindless action films.