Law Abiding Citizen

Law Abiding Citizen (2009)
Directed by F Gary Gray
Starring Gerard Butler, Jamie Foxx

Loop de loop Thriller about a man (Butler) who exacts Justice on the 'killers' who brutally raped/killed his wife and daughter and the 'justice system' that failed his family. It's 10 years after the crime and Butler has come back for revenge. Foxx plays the egomaniacal city-prosecutor who in protecting his trial success rate takes a plea bargain letting the 'real killer' serve 5 years while the 'accomplice' gets the death sentence, this destroys Butlers life and belief in the justice system.

Butler intervenes in the lethal injection execution, making the inmate suffer greatly. He then captures the other criminal (the real killer) and dismembers him using a skill saw in warehouse, while videotaping the event. He sends the dismemberment videotape to the Prosecutor's (Foxx) family. His wife and kid see it, yuk. Butler is apprehended by police and eventually confesses to the murder blaming the justice dept for failing his family. He targets Foxx and while in jail wages a terror war on the police of Chicago, how does he do this? Keep reading, haha. It felt a lot like Cape Fear. I actually rented and watched Cape Fear again because this reminded me so much of it.

So while Butler is in jail the rampage and destruction continues. How, does he have cohorts? It is then revealed in an OMG rug-pull that he is in-fact an ex Special Ops, Black Ops, best in class, whatever, blah blah blah. Anyhow the ridiculous plot then has Butler tunneling his way out of the prison to pull off the terror attacks and going back to his jail at night - yes stupid. This reveal makes the film a farce. I guess they needed a way to explain how this regular guy could get hold of missile launchers and robot machine guns from jail, hahaha.

Anyway it was ludicrous but I must say very entertaining. Both actors have great chops and it was fun to see them go head to head. Foxx delivers and Butler is good, just his old Scottish accent pokes through. Also Butler must make 10 films a year. He is in everything, a new film a month, enough already. It's good to see Butler stick it to the man because he has been very badly wronged, but the whole film goes to far and uses a sentimental hinge (daughter) to explain and justify his rampage. The film is an excuse to blow shit up and shoot guns and for the two actors to look mean and be stressed and act all melodramatic. I don't think anyone mentioned the word plausible in the script meetings. If you are willing to switch off and go with the flow, you will enjoy it. It not so terrible its unwatchable, not by far, its just schlocky entertainment.

Rent it on DVD, the action will keep you entertained, if you like that kind of thing.