Law Abiding Citizen is possibly one of the best films I have seen in a while, but critics do not seem to have been quite as impressed:
“What sours F Gary Gray’s film is the drawn-out sadism of its violence”, Edward Porter, Sunday Times
“Relentlessly silly film”, Jason Solomons, The Guardian
“The film’s entertainment value resides almost entirely in the ingenuity of Butler’s modus operandi; but this is cancelled out by the film’s underlying stupidity”, Robert Hanks, The Independent
All I can say is, I’m amazed. This film literally has you sitting on the edge of seat from its shocking opening scene in which Clyde Shelton (Gerard Butler) is made to watch as his wife and young daughter are stabbed to death.
After district attorney Nick Rice (Jamie Foxx) fails to bring justice upon the murderers a distraught Clyde spends ten years planning his own elaborate version of justice.
The film retains suspense throughout and the last part of the plot is not revealed until the last minute, continually keeping you guessing as you try to work out how Clyde is committing crimes from inside his own jail cell.
Watch out for the DVD coming in April. You can watch a trailer for the film here.
Frederica Dixon