Law Abiding Citizen (2009)
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A man who witnesses the brutal murder of his family takes the law into his own hands by targeting those he believes support a corrupt justice system.
The story
Set in Philadelphia, the film follows Clyde Shelton, a man who witnesses the brutal rape and murder of his wife and daughter during a home invasion. When the prosecutor, Nick Rice, chooses to make a plea bargain with the perpetrator to maintain his conviction rate, Clyde is left devastated by the perceived failure of the justice system. Ten years later, Clyde takes matters into his own hands. He begins a calculated campaign of retaliation, targeting not only the prosecutor but also the individuals and institutions he believes are complicit in a broken and corrupt legal system, forcing the authorities into a desperate confrontation.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After a prosecutor grants a plea bargain to a man who participated in the murder of Clyde Shelton's family, Clyde is left embittered. A decade later, Clyde—now in possession of advanced skills—begins a systematic campaign of violence against the legal system. He orchestrates the death of his original attacker, kidnaps a lawyer, and begins a series of high-stakes negotiations with Prosecutor Nick Rice. As the scale of Clyde's operation is revealed, including a hidden cache of weapons and a sophisticated network of communications, the city is placed under lockdown. The conflict culminates in a tense standoff at City Hall, where Clyde's ultimate goal is revealed to be a final, desperate statement against the failures of the court. The film ends with a final explosion and a moment of personal resolution for Nick Rice.
- First release year
- 2009
- Runtime (minutes)
- 109
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- F. Gary Gray
- Writers
- Kurt Wimmer · writer
- Cast and characters
- Jamie Foxx · Nick Rice; Gerard Butler · Clyde Shelton; Bruce McGill; Colm Meaney; Leslie Bibb; Regina Hall; Michael Irby; Christian Stolte · Clarence Darby; Josh Stewart · Rupert Ames; Viola Davis · Mayor of Philadelphia
- Genres
- vigilante action thriller; action drama; crime drama; crime thriller; psychological thriller
- Themes
- justice; corruption; vengeance; criminal justice system
- Tone and mood
- tense; violent
- Premise and plot tags
- vigilante; legal thriller; action; prison
- Content notes
- violence
- Reception
- The film received generally negative reviews from critics, who praised the performances but criticized the execution and logic of the premise. Despite this, it was a box office success.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 4.4 · scale: 10 · review count: 162; Metacritic · score: 34 · scale: 100 · review count: 26
- Awards and nominations
- Saturn Award · Best Action or Adventure Film · Nomination
- Production trivia
- The roles of the prosecutor and the criminal mastermind were swapped during development.; The film was edited to avoid an NC-17 rating.; A sequel was announced in development in 2022.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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