Butler brings down the system

Rating: 7/10 (23 October 2009)

It stars Butler as Clyde Shelton, a man who survives a home invasion only to lose his wife and daughter in the attack. When his attorney Nick Rice, played by Jamie Foxx, decides to make a plea bargain due to some questionable evidence, Butler is completely destroyed. The man who killed his family gets a 3-5 year stretch while his accomplice who didn't do the killing gets a death sentence.
Flash forward ten years and the man sentenced to death finally meets his fate, only during his lethal injection something goes wrong, and what is normally a painless death turns into an excruciating and incredibly violence execution. Suspects are pursued, including the man who got the lighter sentence. When he runs he winds up in Shelton's hands. Shelton has big plans for bringing down the system that left him by the wayside.
One of the trends with thrillers lately has been the idea that one man or group is killing people without being there, much like the Saw movies. The idea that a person is so intelligent that they can not only kill without being there, but also predict what other outside forces will do to interfere. It's a scary idea, and a fun one to watch unfold on screen.
As far as story goes this one is somewhat predictable. Although we want Butler's character to have his revenge, the things he does we cannot support, making Foxx the unlikable and likable hero. In order for us to like him he has to learn a lesson, such is the purpose of these killers. Like the Saw movies and even David Fincher's Se7en, the heroes are meant to learn something or realize what they are doing and who they really are/should be.
As I said earlier, Butler does a surprisingly good job here for a film of this caliber. It's not a fantastic performance, but his delivery is just right for his character and the story. Foxx does an adequate job in playing the inquisitive attorney and the supporting cast fills in nicely. The action and the suspense is the driving force of this film, but it's nice to have something else to like.
The film is entertaining, doing just what it needs to do. It doesn't go too far to try and wow you with a story. Sometimes movies like that fall flat on their face, like Gothika. I try to limit myself to a small amount of films like this as they tend to copy one another and offer very little except a tired, old storyline with star power thrown in to try and boost up the box office count. I think most people will enjoy this, though there is some nasty violence at times. Still enjoyable.