Good Premise, but Stupid Overall

Rating: 3/10 (7 June 2012)

The best thing to do while watching this film is to watch the film based on how it is presented; basically turn off your brain. If you do actually pay close attention to the storyline, you will see that this film is action packed, but the story that backs it up is ridiculous and idiotic. It felt like the director wanted to create a film that will use our brains, tackling the flaws in the court system, but ended up making a silly film that really lacked intelligence behind everything. To tell you the truth, it really felt like there was no storyline; it was just about a guy killing off people who were involved with a particular incident. There was nothing to back up this story and nothing to present to it. To simply put it, this is a popcorn flick where you have to turn off your brain and just enjoy what was presented.
Another flaw that the film contained was information behind everything. There were many things that were left unanswered and unexplained. As you watch, you would think that these characters would choose answers that would help solve the situation. However, as you watch this film, you realize that these characters, whom are supposed to be smart, will make the dumbest decisions, only making the whole scenario as worst as it already has become. Also, when it comes to the storytelling, you can see where the film is leading to miles away; the film is very predictable. Some moments were unexpected, but when it comes to the storyline and how it will end, you will probably figure that out within 30 minutes or so into the film.
When it came to the acting, everyone performed at an average level. None of the cast did anything that outshines one another or did performances that sucked. There was nothing wrong with the characters, except for the fact that they acted moronically. They had other ways to deal with the situation, but had to do the opposite of what they could have done and it got annoying. The only character whom I thought was the best character was the antagonist, Clyde Shelton, portrayed by Gerald Butler. He plays these games with the lawyers, speaking out one liners that was laughable, had that mystery behind him and is a tactical genius. How he takes out these people and how his plan was not exactly genius material, but it was pretty impressive. Personally, he was the smartest character in this film, but that is not saying much, based on how dumb everything is in this film.
Clyde's tactics to take out his enemies leads to some violent actions. As gruesome as some of it may seem, the action was not incredible, but was reasonable. Hearing that this film had mindless action, I wouldn't go as far as to say that. Each action that Clyde commits is an act of revenge, maybe ridiculous, but wouldn't go as far as to say that it's mindless. Clyde's plan was pretty impressive, committing actions that were awesome. However, my only complaint is the climax based on how everything came to an end. How everything came to an end really represents how mindless everything about this film is. Even as I watched this film, not taking everything seriously, I still wasn't satisfied with the final showdown.
To make it easier, this film is okay if you don't pay attention to the countless flaws. This film is neither great nor bad; just another type of Hollywood popcorn flick that you just can't take seriously. However, if you do take this film seriously, then you will definitely hate this film.