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Foxx spends most of the movie trying to seem authoritative and “sassy,” habitually dropping F-bombs just to make his intentions clear, and in one shot, coolly walking away from an explosion as if he deals with them on a daily basis in his law practice. Why doesn’t anyone notice the military-grade rocket launcher Clyde has erected in the middle of a cemetery? Why does he strip naked right before the police break into his house to arrest him? The world may never know.īoth Foxx and Butler must grapple with some of the corniest writing in recent memory. Other details of the movie are similarly disconnected.
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As hard as it tries to legitimize Clyde’s motivation by constantly referencing his family, their brief appearance on screen does not do enough to explain any of his actions. One of the film’s most egregious problems is that it puts no emphasis whatsoever on establishing any semblance of Clyde’s backstory, nor can it decide which of the two main characters it wants to agree with. (The only real connection seems to be that they were both in jail at some point.)
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Gray inserts a few not-so-subtle shots of a William Penn statue to imply a moral connection between the just colonist and Clyde. On the other, it wants to be an incisive analysis of the faults of our country’s current legal system. On the one hand, it aspires to take a play from the “Saw” franchise and showcase various gruesome and elaborate killing mechanisms. “Law Abiding Citizen” wants to be two totally distinct movies. What a remarkably convenient explanation for his inexplicable homicidal ability! The later revelation of who is actually helping Clyde commit his crimes is so inanely simple that it is almost insulting to the intelligence of the viewer. This explains how he knows what particular species of pufferfish carries the poison he needs or the intricacies of rigging a cellphone to explode as soon as it is answered. Midway through the film, it is revealed that Clyde used to work for the government, devising killing methods that worked automatically, with no need for human interaction. Intriguing mystery lies at the foundation of the film’s story, but the way it actually plays out is unimaginative and amateurish. At present, Clyde has just been arrested, but his targets manage to keep dying while he is locked safely away in solitary confinement, much to Nick’s frustration. Clyde was understandably opposed to Nick’s plan, so he spent the next 10 years plotting his revenge on not just the two men who murdered his family, but also on members of the justice system who failed to prosecute them to the fullest extent. In the ensuing trial, Nick cut a deal with one of the murderers in order to secure testimony against the other. A decade prior to the film’s setting, two thugs murdered Clyde’s wife and young daughter during a home invasion.
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The story chronicles a battle of wits between Clyde Shelton (Butler) and Philadelphia lawyer Nick Rice (Foxx). Gary Gray’s last hit, “The Italian Job,” but it ends up an unintentional comedy through its ludicrous premise and prolific overacting. “Law Abiding Citizen” aspires to be a smart thriller akin to director F. “They’re dead.” Believe it or not, this is the film at its most profound. “My wife and daughter can’t feel anything,” Butler replies without missing a beat. In one of the many interrogation scenes of “Law Abiding Citizen,” Jamie Foxx peers into Gerard Butler’s jail cell and asks him how his family would feel about the crimes he has committed.