Monday, October 19, 2009

'Law Abiding Citizen' Review


Colm Meany, Gerard Butler, and Jamie Foxx in a scene from Law Abiding Citizen, directed by F. Gary Gray and set in Philadelphia. Watch the trailer: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/law-abiding-citizen/36929/main
>>This movie is a revenge fantasy gone too far. Compared to 1974's Death Wish starring Charles Bronson who made several sequels and its clones, Law Abiding Citizen makes the others look primitive and tame. Here the audience is set up for a high tech thrill ride that's a bit improbable but still entertaining.
>>Gerard Butler from 300 and the film version of The Phantom of the Opera (Yes he sings too and was good in it; It's too bad the film was not a huge success but it's the next best thing to seeing it on stage.) plays a nice family man whose wife and daughter are killed in a home robbery. When the District Attorney played by Jamie Foxx makes him accept a deal where one of the killers gets a lesser sentence and freedom for testifying against the other one because he's afraid that both will go free, Butler waits ten years to plot his revenge not only against the killers but also the 'imperfect' legal system that let him down. This includes judges, lawyers, policemen, and anyone else who Butler perceives as his enemy. Some scenes here are not for squeamish and mercifully short but will appeal to fans of torture porn. One surprise made me and others jump out of our seats....
>>When Butler is still able to dispense of his enemies, real and false, while in custody, Foxx races against time to find out if Butler has an accomplice on the outside and to prevent more deaths. The ending is a bit farfetched but the movie seems to work if you except the premise that an evil genius is capable of doing anything to accomplish his goals.
>>Butler is charmingly likable when he's doing his nasty work, a distant cousin to Hannibal Lecter, and Foxx makes a good stalwart opponent who's taught a cruel, warped lesson by Butler about justice and punishment. The fine supporting cast featuring Bruce McGill, Colm Meany, and Viola Davis add the needed weight to keep the maybe unbelievable plot grounded. This film is edge-of-your-seat entertainment and never fails to deliver if you willingly go along for the ride.

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