Law Abiding Citizen is a thriller that keeps the audience on the edge of their seats. Directed by F. Gary Gray, Butler and Foxx make this movie work. They are very realistic and Butler portrays a Hannibal Lecter sort of character. He is a villain who uses his smarts to kill people without being in the same room as them. This sort of character makes the audience marvel at his brainy personality if played well, and Butler does exactly that.
After seeing his family brutally murdered, Clyde Shelton (Gerard Butler) just wants to see the two killers locked up for life at the least. Instead, Nick Rice (Jamie Foxx) conspires with one of the killers, Clarence Darby, and Darby only gets five years in jail.
Shelton is very upset about this and spends the next ten years planning the murders of everybody involved in the case. Shelton ends up in jail after killing Darby, but he continues to commit murders despite being in jail. It is up to Rice to stop him or else Shelton will eventually kill him.
This movie was released October 16th, and has been fairly successful. Law Abiding Citizen has grossed over $60 million since being released. Movie critic Roger Ebert gave the movie three stars out of four.
I recommend seeing Law Abiding Citizen because of how realistic it is. This thriller captures the audience throughout, and I cannot remember a dull moment or a scene that was taken too far. Foxx and Butler both played their parts beautifully, especially Foxx who is a cocky prosecutor, who sees himself as the best in the country. This is must-see if you are into violent thrillers, but it is rated R for its violence.
Overall, I give this movie a 9.5 out of 10. It’s very realistic and entertaining, but it’s not a ten because that rating is only deserved by about three movies per year.