Law Abiding Citizen

If you think The Joker of the brilliant film The Dark Knight was the mastermind of intellectually systematic manslaughter, you clearly have never been introduced to Clyde Shelton.

In the movie Law Abiding Citizen, Mr. Shelton plays the judicial system of the United States into his hands so well, you’ll be questioning its motives yourself as you exit the theatre. In this high-speed game of cat-and-mouse between law and criminal, it becomes difficult to decipher which side is the bad guy. Not to mention, you will be terrified to ever answer your cell phone again.

In one hand you have Clyde Shelton, portrayed by Gerard Butler. After watching the murderer of his wife and daughter get off with a mere slap on the wrist only because his lawyer arranged a plea bargain with him, Clyde decides to take matters of justice into his own hands. The aptitude this man has for setting up the most clever, undetectable death traps known to God, plus his skill for engineering the flawless instruments of anguish and veiled escape tactics, startles the audience into questioning those who are said to be protecting our streets. It basically comes down to one principle - if Clyde Shelton wants you dead, you’re dead. Of course, his clever attitude and snarky one-liners make his character one of the most fun to follow, if for any reason other than pure genius - “That is what a wrench is for, dumbass.”

In the other hand you have Nick Rice, the defense attorney portrayed by Jamie Foxx who is forced to switch sides after realizing Shelton is just too smart for him. For Rice it is a never-ending game of keep up, but admittedly he does keep to Shelton’s heels pretty darn well. Shelton is inclined to mess with everything Rice is about after Rice makes the deal that the wrong man is sentenced to death for Shelton’s family’s murder. He learns, after a few forceful tactics set up by Shelton himself, that you cannot always trust those you bargain with, especially when they use you as a game piece in their master plan.

It is hard to say which side ends up winning in the end, because both compelling sides of this movie have you wrapped around their fingers by the middle of it. In the end, it all comes down to your faith in our legal system - and how appealing Gerard Butler’s naked bottom is to you.

Brilliant performances by all actors, amazing plot twists and constant, fast-paced action all rolled into one intelligent film give Law Abiding Citizen an easy 4/4 star rating.