Law Abiding Citizen is a 2009 American vigilanteaction thriller film[3][4][5] directed by F. Gary Gray, written by Kurt Wimmer, and starring Jamie Foxx and Gerard Butler (who also co-produced). The film takes place in Philadelphia, telling the story of a man who seeks justice by targeting not only his family's killer but also those who have supported a corrupt criminal justice system. Law Abiding Citizen was filmed on location in Philadelphia and released theatrically by Overture Films in North America on October 16, 2009.
The film grossed $127.9 million worldwide but received generally negative reviews from critics. Despite this, it was nominated for a Saturn Award as the Best Action/Adventure/Thriller Film of the year, as well as NAACP Image Award nominations for both Foxx (Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture) and Gray (Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture).
During a home invasion in Philadelphia, Clarence Darby violently assaults, rapes and murders the wife and slays the daughter of engineer Clyde Shelton, who is forced to watch, but not before receiving a knife wound from him. Prosecuting attorney Nick Rice is unable to convict Darby due to mishandled evidence. Unwilling to risk lowering his high conviction rate, Nick makes a plea deal with Darby; Darby will testify against his accomplice Rupert Ames (who is guilty of felony murder), while Darby pleads guilty to third-degree murder and receives a sentence of no more than three years.
Ten years later, during Ames' execution via lethal injection, he surprisingly dies in agonizing pain. The police find the chemicals had been tampered with and evidence left behind implicates Darby. An anonymous caller warns him law enforcement is on their way to arrest him. Following the caller's instructions, Darby ditches his gun and hijacks a police car, forcing a lone officer to drive to a deserted warehouse. The officer is revealed to be Clyde, also the caller. Darby attempts to shoot Clyde, but instead, the gun paralyzes Darby with tetrodotoxin-coated spikes. Clyde then straps Darby to a table, makes medical preparations to prolong Darby's suffering, then records himself (disguised) slowly dismembering and eventually killing Darby. When Darby's remains are found on property he owns, Clyde allows himself to be arrested and goes to prison.
In prison, Clyde demands a new mattress in his cell in exchange for a "confession". Nick initially refuses, but after learning that Clyde traumatized Nick's family with the video of Darby's murder, District Attorney Jonas Cantrell orders Nick to make the deal. In court, Clyde represents himself and successfully argues, before Judge Laura Burch, that he should be granted bail. He then belittles Burch for accepting the legal precedent he cited, reveals that he knows that Burch lazily convicted Ames and gave Darby a meaningless sentence, and criticizes her for being too easily convinced and eager to release potential criminals; Clyde is then denied bail and also jailed for contempt of court.
After giving Nick his confession, Clyde demands an elaborate steak lunch from Del Frisco's and his iPod be delivered to his cell by a specific time, in exchange for the location of Darby's now-missing lawyer, Bill Reynolds. Nick agrees, though the lunch is purposely delayed a few minutes by the self-important warden. Once he receives his meal, Clyde provides the coordinates to Reynolds, but Reynolds dies due to a precisely timed device. Meanwhile, Clyde kills his cellmate using the bone from his steak, forcing the warden to secure him in solitary confinement.
Suspicious of Clyde's uncommon skillset and surgically precise tactics, Cantrell and Nick meet Bray, a CIA contact who divulges Clyde's past employment with the agency, where he specialized in assassinating impossible targets from afar with unorthodox devices and methods. Bray warns them that Clyde can kill anyone anytime he wishes and that his imprisonment may be part of a bigger plan. Bray finishes the meeting by suggesting to Nick and Cantrell that the only way to stop Clyde is to kill him. During a meeting with Nick and Cantrell, Judge Burch is killed by an explosive hidden in her cell phone. Clyde explains to Nick that the murders are not about revenge, but the failures of the justice system. Clyde demands his release and all charges dropped to end the killings by 6:00 a.m. the following day or he will "kill everyone".
Nick takes precautionary measures instead, moving his entire team to the prison to work throughout the night. After Clyde's deadline passes without incident, Nick releases his team. While walking to his car, six attorneys from Cantrell's office are killed in car bombings, including Nick's assistant, Sarah Lowell. Nick privately meets Clyde, beating and yelling at him in frustration that, if they had tried to convict Ames and Darby, they might have gone free. Clyde counters that Nick is apathetic and that if he had at least tried but failed, Clyde would have accepted the outcome. Nick demands an end to the killings, but Clyde responds that he is just beginning and is prepared to go Von Clausewitz on the entire legal system. While leaving Sarah's funeral, Cantrell and his two-man security detail are killed by a weaponized bomb disposal robot armed with ATR and a missile. Nick prepares to resign, but the irate mayor instead promotes Nick to acting District Attorney and locks the city down.
Nick learns that Clyde owns a building near the prison. He and Homicide Detective Dunnigan discover a tunnel inside that leads to a cache of guns, disguises, and other equipment below the solitary confinement cells, with secret entrances to each cell. Nick realizes that Clyde intentionally sought solitary confinement, allowing him to leave the prison undetected. Evidence points to Clyde's next target, City Hall, where the mayor is holding an emergency meeting. Nick and his men fail to find Clyde, instead discovering a suitcase bomb loaded with napalm planted in the room below the meeting.
Clyde returns to his cell and is surprised to find Nick waiting for him. Clyde suggests another deal, but Nick replies that he does not make deals with 14-time murderers. Nick attempts to urge Clyde to reconsider, making it clear he made his point, but Clyde activates the suitcase bomb regardless. Nick immediately leaves, locking Clyde's cell behind him while Dunnigan closes off the secret passage. Hearing the ringtone of the detonator, Clyde discovers the bomb Nick hid underneath his bed. Clyde briefly smiles and sits on his bed, looking at his daughter's bracelet as the bomb explodes.
Nick–District Attorney and now a premeditated murderer with Dunnigan–joins his wife at their daughter's cello recital.
Cast
Jamie Foxx as Nick Rice, a Philadelphia prosecutor
Gerard Butler as Clyde Shelton, a former CIA engineer
Bruce McGill as Jonas Cantrell, Philadelphia's District Attorney
Colm Meaney as Detective Dunnigan, a Philadelphia homicide detective
In addition, Viola Davis appears as the Mayor of Philadelphia.
Development
Gerard Butler was initially signed on to play the prosecuting attorney, while Jamie Foxx was the criminal mastermind operating from inside prison,[6] a reversal of their roles in the final version.
Frank Darabont was expected to direct the film, but he left the production due to creative differences with the producers.[7]
Filming began on January 17, 2009, and took place in and around Philadelphia.[8] Filming locations included Philadelphia's City Hall, Laurel Hill Cemetery[9] and the now closed Holmesburg Prison. Holmesburg's "Thunderdome command center" is quite evident in the movie.
The film was edited after being threatened with an NC-17 rating for violence,[10] with the full version released unrated on Blu-ray.
The score to Law Abiding Citizen was composed by Brian Tyler, who recorded his score with a 52-piece ensemble of the Hollywood Studio Symphony at the Sony Scoring Stage with help from Kieron Charlesworth.[11] The film also uses "Eminence Front" by The Who and "Engine No. 9" by Deftones on Clyde's iPod while he is eating his steak in his cell. While Clyde calls Darby to help him 'escape' the police after Ames' execution, "Bloodline" by Slayer is Darby's ringer. The tune at the end for closing credits is "Sin's A Good Man's Brother" by Grand Funk Railroad.
Release
The film was released theatrically on October 16, 2009, in the United States.[12] The first theatrical trailer was released on August 14, 2009, and was attached to District 9.[13]
The premiere was held on November 15, 2009, at the Cineworld complex in Glasgow, Butler's hometown. Many British tabloids labelled the event as the "Homecoming Premiere", about the Homecoming Scotland 2009 celebrations.[14]
Reception
Box office
Law Abiding Citizen grossed $73.4 million in the United States and Canada, and $54.6 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $127.9 million.[2]
The film took second place in its opening weekend, with $21 million, behind Where the Wild Things Are. It went on to gross $126.6 million in total worldwide.[15]
Critical response
Review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported that 26% of 162 critics gave the film a positive review, with an average rating of 4.4/10. The site's critical consensus states: "Unnecessarily violent and unflinchingly absurd, Law Abiding Citizen is plagued by subpar acting and a story that defies reason."[16] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 34 out of 100 based on 26 critics, indicating "generally unfavourable reviews".[17]
In his review for the Chicago Sun Times, Roger Ebert said, "Law Abiding Citizen is the kind of movie you will like more at the time than in retrospect." He then went on to say, "Still, there's something to be said for a movie you like well enough at the time." Ebert rated the film three out of four stars.[18]
Sequel
In May 2022, it was announced that a standalone sequel was in development. Kurt Wimmer was hired to return to his role as screenwriter, while Gerard Butler will serve as producer alongside Alan Siegel, Lucas Foster, Rob Paris, and Mike Witherill. Foster stated in his returning role as a producer that the studios look forward to "revisit[ing] these great characters" stating that the premise "seems even more relevant today than when...the original film" was released. The filmmaker stated: "We’re going to blow your mind… again." While the plot has not been revealed, Paris and Witherill jointly stated that the creatives involved, see the movie as a "franchise opportunit[y]." The project will be a joint-venture production between G-Base Productions, Rivulet Films, Warp Films, and Village Roadshow Pictures.[19]
↑ "Law Abiding Citizen F. Gary Gray". Exclaim! - Canada's Authority on Music, Film and Entertainment. Law Abiding Citizen, easily the most massively entertaining action thriller since Taken.
↑ "Law abiding citizen". The Age. 28 January 2010. WHAT happens when the good guys start acting like the bad guys? That's the question posed in B-movie terms by F. Gary Gray's entertainingly silly action thriller starring Gerard Butler as the kind of twitchy yet high-minded nutcase who five years ago would undoubtedly have been played by Mel Gibson.
↑ "Law Abiding Citizen to be promoted on Xbox Live". Campaign. Law Abiding Citizen, an action thriller, will be promoted on Xbox Live this month in a three-week push brokered by specialist agency Target Media. The film is out on 27 November.
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