Revenge, How Sweet It Is?
Clyde Shelton (Gerard Butler) doesn’t realize that the door he is about to open will change his life forever. A random act of violence is about to drastically alter Clyde’s life forever. Although Shelton can identify the culprits, hotshot prosecutor Nick Rice (Jamie Foxx) won’t take any chances to blemish his 95% conviction rate and cuts a deal. A deal that will see only one of the two pay for the crime, while the other walks free in a mere 3 years.
When the day arrives that the one convicted criminal is to receive the death penalty things begin to go horribly wrong. The death isn’t easy, it’s brutal. And his partner who was off leading his own life, well let’s just say he never saw it coming.
Immediately Clyde is tied to the case, but now it’s his turn to cut deals. It’s Clyde’s turn to play a game with Nick that will lead to some extremely violent deaths. But who is to blame for this series of killings while Clyde is in prison. Can Nick stop the madness before the killings strike close to his own home?
We’ve seen the payback story line on screen before. (Think Payback and Man On Fire) So if you are going to go here, it has to be done well.
And Law Abiding Citizen is done well.
While I don’t totally buy Butler as the grieving husband and father, I TOTALLY bought him as the man hell bent on revenge. Jamie Foxx is his perfect foil, a cool customer who looks out for number one, himself. The two work extremely well in the scenes where they are paired together.
The film has a pace that doesn’t slow and will keep you hooked throughout. There is even a scene that has one of the biggest collective *gasps*that I have seen in a long time. It’s a scene you see coming, but it still will blow you away.
That said, this isn’t without it’s faults. The gruesome early film killings will turn some crime drama fans stomachs and had a tendency to fell more Saw and less CSI. I had a hard time with throwing any sympathy to any of the characters with their behavior.
What would you do if this happened to your family? It’s a hard question to answer, but the film offers an incredible solution. That solution will have you engrossed until the last man is standing. Harsh but real, this is a good film in the genre – case closed.
Grade: B