Law Abiding Citizen

Pervasively absurd yet generally entertaining, Law Abiding Citizen casts Gerard Butler as Clyde Shelton – a dorky family man who embarks on a vicious campaign of revenge after his wife and daughter are brutally murdered by an almost comically sleazy criminal (Christian Stolte’s Clarence Darby). His initial taste for vengeance satisfied, Clyde decides to go after those responsible for Darby’s less-than-grueling prison stint – which undoubtedly means big trouble for the ambitious district attorney (Jamie Foxx’s Nick Rice) who signed off on Darby’s plea bargain. There’s little doubt that Law Abiding Citizen is at its best in its opening hour, as director F. Gary Gray – armed with Kurt Wimmer’s screenplay – has infused the movie with a blistering pace that’s backed by an absolutely irresistible premise. Butler’s expectedly captivating work effectively allows the viewer to initially sympathize with Clyde’s plight and root for his success, with the character’s subsequent (yet inevitable) shift from protagonist to antagonist triggering a lull that persists for a good portion of the film’s midsection – as Foxx, though competent here, is simply unable to match Butler’s effortless level of charisma (and it certainly doesn’t help that Nick ultimately comes off as a comparatively bland figure). The increasingly preposterous storyline reaches its zenith in the unapologetically over-the-top third act, which admittedly proves instrumental in recapturing the viewer’s waning interest but also ensures that any and all traces of authenticity are effectively obliterated (ie the movie finally bears more of a resemblance to a parody of revenge thrillers than to an actual revenge thriller). It’s nevertheless impossible not to derive some enjoyment out of Butler’s progressively convoluted machinations, with the end result an uneven piece of work that’ll probably fare best among viewers with an inherent interest in this sort of thing.

**1/2 out of ****