Law Abiding Citizen (2009) Review

I love a good guilty pleasure. "Law Abiding Citizen" is not a good guilty pleasure. It is a guilty pleasure, just not very enjoyable. Do you see where I am coming from?

If you look at the basics it should work out. We have two leads in the form of Jamie Foxx and Gerard Butler who can deliver quality work. We have a director with F. Gary Gray who brought us the cult film "Friday" and the extremely fun (if not very substantial) remake of "The Italian Job". Unfortunately none of them is on top of their game.

The main story revolves around Gerard Butler's family being brutally killed and how he takes matters in his own hands after only one of the killers is sentenced due to circumstantial evidence. Granted, "Law Abiding Citizen" doesn't just deteriorate from here on into another generic revenge story like James Wan's "Death Sentence" (which I actually kinda liked) but instead sees Butler blaming not only the killers but also the whole judicial system he feels wronged by which includes district attorney Jamie Foxx. What follows is an (at least initially) interesting cat and mouse game between hyper-intelligent Butler and Foxx.

I have to give the film credit for trying to blur the line between good and evil here. First we are supposed to root for Butler because of the blatant injustice but also see it from the point of view of the law, personified by Foxx. But instead of keeping up with that idea the filmmakers decide to say at some point "Screw it!" and make Butler a sadistic serial killer with an attitude more fitted to an OTT Bond villain. And here lies the next problem: Foxx is introduced as an unsympathetic schmuck and doesn't recover from that. The film later tries to set him up as the hero but fails miserably in doing so. So who should we root for? The insane madman played by Butler or the bland douchebag played by Foxx?

Besides the movie's failed attempt at some social commentary (which comes as subtle as a sledgehammer to the forehead) there's some really gruesome violence on display here. It's not only the traumatic murder at the beginning but also Butler's turn as a torturer that seems entirely unnecessary. We already have the never-ending flow of "Saw" and "Hostel" movies, do we really need more of that, especially if it is as pointless as here? I mean it doesn't add anything to the story or characters, it doesn't give the whole movie more edge, it is just entirely unpleasant.

But even if you look past the nasty violence and the non-existence of any relatable hero you will most likely scratch your heads over the gaping plotholes in the script. Especially once Butler is imprisoned and still manages to pull the strings it will leave the audience baffled over some ridiculous plot twists.

Overall "Law Abiding Citizen" is an utter disappointment, most of all due to the high goals it sets itself and that it never achieves.