Law Abiding Citizen

[SkyNet]

used to be every single movie was covered on these threads well in advance of it's release.. what happened?!?!

If i missed the thread on this, i apologize

But i just got back from seeing this, i really enjoyed it, not anything ground breaking but a good flick to see on a rainy day. Gerard Butler gives a kick ass performance and Jamie Foxx is pretty good as well (ive seen him better though)

A solid action/ suspense flick

[ilovemovies]

I haven't seen the movie yet but I've read the script and although it was an early draft, all the clips and trailers lead me to believe that the changes that have occured are relatively minor.

This, alas, is not a good thing. Because based on what I read, I think I'm gonna find this movie to be gripping, albiet wildly implausible, for the first two thirds but the movie will fall apart with an incredibly stupid third act.

The revelation of how Butler is committing these killings from prison is beyond ridiculous.

[Bourne101]

I'll probably check this out at some point. Looks fairly entertaining.

[JoeChar4321]

I haven't seen the movie yet but I've read the script and although it was an early draft, all the clips and trailers lead me to believe that the changes that have occured are relatively minor.

This, alas, is not a good thing. Because based on what I read, I think I'm gonna find this movie to be gripping, albiet wildly implausible, for the first two thirds but the movie will fall apart with an incredibly stupid third act.

The revelation of how Butler is committing these killings from prison is beyond ridiculous.

Bingo.

5.5/10

As noted above and even in the trailers, it's obvious that this film had structural problems right from the start. It really doesn't know what type of movie it wants to be. It tries to be a mixture of "Taken," "The Punisher," and "Se7en" but ends up being less than the sum of its parts. It's a revenge flick that turns on itself and the viewer doesn't know who to back and who to root for. I'm sure that's the point, to unsettle the viewer and make them think but the results aren't very entertaining. The "accomplice" plot twist is completely implausible if you think about it.

[SkyNet]

I didnt mind the Accomplice thing, i mean, if Andy Dufrane could do it in Shawshank, why couldnt Gerard in LAC?! I just didnt like that there was basically no other point of him being a secret assassin other than to feed the point of him being able to do it... no back story, no reasoning for anything other than that was a needed plot point for them to be able to do the shit he could do

Still a good way to kill 2 hours i think.

[Scarface98.9]

I'm surprised this thread has gotten almost no posts. I just came back from it and it's one of those movies where there are some implausibilities but while you're watching it, you're really absorbed into it. I very much enjoyed the movie and hope it does well. I even enjoyed the 3rd act, despite one of the twists that even I was scratching my head at. But it was solid entertainment :)

7.5/10

[Tweek]

Gerard Butler? Pass.

used to be every single movie was covered on these threads well in advance of it's release.. what happened?!?!

I've been a bad mod. :(

[SkyNet]

ha.. nah... nothing like that at all Tweek... i just figured Bourne usually posted these threads up a week or so prior! No big whoop... i like creating threads!

But really?! Not a fan of Gerard Butler?! Pray tell

[Bourne101]

ha.. nah... nothing like that at all Tweek... i just figured Bourne usually posted these threads up a week or so prior! No big whoop... i like creating threads!

I am usually on top of the thread starting, but lately I have been so consumed by course work at university that I've only been opening threads of films I am interested in or am interested in talking about. Feel free to open up a thread any time. :cool:

[SkyNet]

Bourne.. work before these boards??? really?? Unacceptable sir... just unacceptable!

[Tweek]

ha.. nah... nothing like that at all Tweek... i just figured Bourne usually posted these threads up a week or so prior! No big whoop... i like creating threads!

I wasn't really offended. :D

But really?! Not a fan of Gerard Butler?! Pray tell

I find him so annoying and boring that he makes me want to yank the hair out of my head. I feel the same way about Jason Statham and Katherine Heigl. They could be lovely people in reality but watching movies they're in displeases me.

[BankaiZaraki]

I enjoyed it somewhat. The ending fell completely flat on its face though. Thought there would be this climatic final scene and then the ending happens...Fuck..Pretty entertaining though, and how Gerard Butler manages these kills is insane. Also a small little gripe, but why on earth did he need to get naked?


SPOILERS


The Bullet Phone...Good God..


END SPOILERS

[Crazy Dud]

I haven't seen the movie yet but I've read the script and although it was an early draft, all the clips and trailers lead me to believe that the changes that have occured are relatively minor.

This, alas, is not a good thing. Because based on what I read, I think I'm gonna find this movie to be gripping, albiet wildly implausible, for the first two thirds but the movie will fall apart with an incredibly stupid third act.

The revelation of how Butler is committing these killings from prison is beyond ridiculous.

Okay, perhaps my faith in your opinions is being restored all of a sudden, because you are right on about this movie.

5/10

[anakinsrise]

I love a good revenge flick,and Law Abiding Citizen for the most part brings out that adoration,but collapses in its third predictable act.
Gerard Butler does a fine job as Clyde Sheldon,he wants justice for the scum that murdered his wife and child.But when the judicial system fails him,due to a slick prosecutor
Nick Rice (Jamie Foxx) who wants to maintain his 96% conviction rate.
Sheldon wants revenge,but this wont stop with the criminals but the entire judicial system.
Watching Sheldon take his revenge is highly entertaining,sometimes through sadistic means,and when he exposes the weaknesses of the judicial system.When he make's his "deals" you can see the glee in his eyes because he is now working the system that turned his back on him.
The film goes off its entertaining rails when we finallly discover how Sheldon is taking out those involved in his case 10 years prior,while sitting in his jail cell
It just opens up to many questions and tons of plot holes



SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER

Wouldnt his cell mate notice his comings and goings? He made tunnels to each cell just in case ? Wouldnt the other prisoners notice the cracks and crevices leading to a tunnel?


END SPOILERS END SPOILERS


LAS is not a bad way to spend 2 hours its and entertaining but flawed film
I just feel the writers could have come up with a better and etertaining ending.
Scale of 1-10 a 7 ½ out of 10

[SpikeDurden]

I watched a lot of this film all around town last year, so I've been eagerly waiting to check it out to see Philly represented. When I live in LA or NY seeing something being shot is absolutely no big deal and I don't like twice, but having a major production shoot a good amount of exteriors in Philly was great fun and sort of took the city by storm. Philly is rarely represented in film so it's always a treat when this happens.

And granted my two least favorite films of the year have starred Gerard Butler (The Ugly Truth and Gamer, uch) but I do actually think this looks like fun. So I'm off to see it now and I'll update when I return tonight with my thoughts. I hope, at least, I don't hate it. Gerard can't disappoint me again this year. I really do like him a lot and think he has the potential to be one of our biggest, best stars. Everyone makes mistakes, right?

[Tweek]

People, we have spoiler tags now.


[spoiler] [//spoiler]


Just take out one of the slashes in the second bracket and voila, spoiler tag.

[SpikeDurden]

What starts off as an effective and mildly clever thriller, and another entry in the classic battle of the A-list male performers, ends in a mess of preposterous occurrences that violates most everything that had come before it. After two worst-of-the-year films previously in 2009, at least Gerard Butler can walk away saying that the film isn't awful and he performs admirably, creating a multi-dimensional character that often makes you question your own moral standings. On the other side of the spectrum, Jamie Foxx is the least engaging he has ever been. I rarely say that an actor sleepwalks through a film, but that is exactly what Foxx does here.

The film is able to muster up a surprising amount of suspense during the 2nd act, with clever and unpredictable kills and a general aura of the unknown - anything can happen at any time - and for the most part credit goes to F. Gary Gray, who has not made a truly good film since 1995. With a few rewrites of the script (come on Kurt Wimmer, I know you can do better), in particular the ending, this film may have saved itself from the mediocrity it eventually enters. The film also suffers because it is not quite sure what it wants to be - a Saw-type torturefest, a legal thriller, an action film, or a moral parable and a serious attack against the modern justice system. I'm just glad that, at least for now, Butler has mildly redeemed himself. It is frustrating to be a fan of someone who doesn't know how to pick good scripts. He needs a little more RockNRolla and a little less of what he's been doing lately.

6/10

[jz68]

SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER

Wouldnt his cell mate notice his comings and goings? He made tunnels to each cell just in case ? Wouldnt the other prisoners notice the cracks and crevices leading to a tunnel?


END SPOILERS END SPOILERS


I guess you're confused about the concept of solitary confinement. Who says anybody would notice anything in the other cells? You're assuming the guy would have done sloppy work when he's a freakin evil genius.

[ilovemovies]

credit goes to F. Gary Gray, who has not made a truly good film since 1995.

You didn't like The Italian Job or The Negotiator?

Also gotta disagree with you on RocknRolla. That movie is even worse than Gamer IMO.

[JoeChar4321]

Jamie Foxx is the least engaging he has ever been. I rarely say that an actor sleepwalks through a film, but that is exactly what Foxx does here.

6/10

I agree completely with your take on this film, especially Foxx's performance. It's as unengaged as I've seen any actor be in a long time. In fact, I'd call his performance flat out awful.

[SpikeDurden]

You didn't like The Italian Job or The Negotiator?

Also gotta disagree with you on RocknRolla. That movie is even worse than Gamer IMO.


I liked The Italian Job to an extent, but would also give it just a 6/10. There's something about F. Gary Gray that makes actors really, really dull because Edward Norton has never been worse. And the Negotiator is just another dull and mediocre hostage movie in my mind. Friday is great, though. It was all downhill from there.

I loved RockNRolla. I thought it was fresh, funny, and cleverly plotted. Gamer was a POS in every single way.

[anakinsrise]

SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER

Wouldnt his cell mate notice his comings and goings? He made tunnels to each cell just in case ? Wouldnt the other prisoners notice the cracks and crevices leading to a tunnel?


END SPOILERS END SPOILERS


I guess you're confused about the concept of solitary confinement. Who says anybody would notice anything in the other cells? You're assuming the guy would have done sloppy work when he's a freakin evil genius.


He wasnt in solitary confinement the entire time.
There's not much to do in a prison cell so a fellow inmate maybe pacing,working out ,in another cell wouldnt notice weaknesses in the floor/walls of his cell ?

[bigred760]

I thought the movie was okay. The premise itself was great and I liked how the movie played out. I agree with the sentiment that Jamie Foxx wasn't anything special in this flick, but I thought Gerard Butler did a great job with his character. Though I thought some of the situations were a bit farfetched, they were still fun to watch and follow. I was never bored watching the movie and was interested in where the story and the characters were going next.

6/10

[jz68]

He wasnt in solitary confinement the entire time.
There's not much to do in a prison cell so a fellow inmate maybe pacing,working out ,in another cell wouldnt notice weaknesses in the floor/walls of his cell ?

He didn't start leaving the prison until after he was in solitary. Also, the solitary cells are dark and dirty. It wouldn't have been tough to conceal. Also, most of the solitary cells were empty most if not all of the time since nobody wants to go to there.

[ilovemovies]

Some of the changes from the script I liked, other changes I didn't really like that much.


I was surprised when Leslie Bibb's character died because in the script I read, her character survived but spent the rest of the time in the hospital. The change I didn't care as much about? Cantrell, Bruce McGill's character, had a much better death scene in the script I read than in this movie.


Either way, they were both done in by a laughably ludicrous and silly third act.


6/10

[Moviefreek]

The newest film from director F. Gary Gray(Friday, The Negotiator) turns out to be a mediocre effort with a couple of decent action scenes and performances. The film is about Clyde Shelton(Gerard Butler) who loses his wife and daughter to a random act of violence and seeks revenge after he is unsatisfied with trail results which involved Nick Rice(Jamie Foxx). His own random acts of violence and a series implausible sequences ensue.

F. Gary Gray does a well enough job of directing the film as it looks really good and has enough style to support the running time of the film. The film is one of those films that could have been directed by anyone as the problem is not the directing but the screenplay. The story is a simple one that drags and is more suitable for an hour of television, including the commercials. The violence is over the top, and as surprising as it is, the only reason to even see this film. Much of what happens in the film has you thinking to yourself "yeah right" and makes you wonder how exactly it could have been pulled off. This is all fine and mildly entertaining but then the third act happens and the film completely falls apart.

The performances from Gerard Butler(Gamer, 300) and Jamie Foxx(Ray, The Soloist) are acceptable but nothing to write home about. Jamie Foxx seems to be playing through the motions and does nothing noteworthy. Gerard Butler does seem to be having fun with his role but his character is pretty flat. I do like Gerard Butler and I think he has great screen presence, I would just like to see him in a good film for once. The rest of the supporting cast is also pretty bland and offers nothing to remember.

Law Abiding Citizen has a message that it is trying to put out there but it does so in a messy and improbable manner. It is semi-entertaining and surprising with it's revenge scenes and small twists but upon leaving the theater you will realize how silly it all was.

5.5 out of 10

My review of this film and others:

http://www.examiner.com/x-6010-New-Orleans-Film-Examiner

[Mystique963]

I think that anyone who is employeed by one of the many aspects of the justice system might enjoy this movie a lot more than the average person. ;) I thought it was a lot of fun, full of plenty of 'oh shit!' moments and whatnot.

7/10

[Bourne101]

Law Abiding Citizen - 6/10

I can definitely see why this is doing well at the box-office. It's entertaining as hell, and is full of action, suspense and humor. It definitely has some pretty great moments. There are two big problems with it though. The first being that the last quarter of the film where the "revelation" occurs is beyond ridiculous. There are just so many problems with that one problem that it just kind of takes you out of the film, whereas in the first three quarters of the film I was locked in. Problem number two is that you never really know who to root for. Well, in a sense you do, but you really don't. You don't know who you are "supposed" to root for may be the better way to state it. I started out rooting for Gerard Butler, and continued to throughout the film (as fucked as his mentality was). But as the film goes on, it seems as if the protagonists are turning to antagonists and vice-versa, when they really shouldn't be. I rooted for Gerard Butler all along, and then at the end I'm supposed to back Jamie Foxx whose character (and his associates) I absolutely loathed up to that point? As ridiculous as the last quarter was, they could have continued with the ridiculousness and still ended it in much better fashion. killing the room full of people and leaving Jamie Foxx to really change his mentality. It's definitely an entertaining film, and even a pretty good one up until the last quarter, but that last quarter was really a big problem for me.

[ilovemovies]

I don't think we were ever suppose to be rooting for Clyde. It was obvious from the get go that he had completely lost it and turned into a major psycho and a terrorist who needed to be stopped.

It was always clear, to me at least, that Fox was the protagonist while Butler was the antagonist of the movie.

[bigred760]

I don't think we were ever suppose to be rooting for Clyde. It was obvious from the get go that he had completely lost it and turned into a major psycho and a terrorist who needed to be stopped.

It was always clear, to me at least, that Fox was the protagonist while Butler was the antagonist of the movie.

I found myself rooting for Clyde through most of the movie and not Foxx's character.

[Crazy Dud]

I don't think we were ever suppose to be rooting for Clyde. It was obvious from the get go that he had completely lost it and turned into a major psycho and a terrorist who needed to be stopped.

It was always clear, to me at least, that Fox was the protagonist while Butler was the antagonist of the movie.

I think the real antagonist of this film is supposed to be the justice system, and I believer Butler and Foxx are both victims of the system in different ways (though I'm not excusing the actions of Butler's character).

[Bourne101]

It was always clear, to me at least, that Fox was the protagonist while Butler was the antagonist of the movie.

To each his own I guess, but Jamie Foxx making a deal and shaking hands with a man who killed a man's wife and child didn't exactly make it clear for me that I should be rooting for him. I could have cared less if he died, he was a self-absorbed douche bag. Same with that cunt of a judge. Sure, Butler's character went WAY too far, but he was going after people who were 100% responsible for putting murderers back on the street. I can see not considering Butler a protagonist, but I definitely cannot see considering Foxx or the other lawyers/judges as protagonists (save for maybe the female lawyer who seemed skeptical of the system throughout).

[Talnsaw]

Well said...def agree with you there, altho Butlers actions were way over the top i still found myself rooting for him, the whole Justice system stank!

[BakeTheMooCow]

Sure, Butler's character went WAY too far, but he was going after people who were 100% responsible for putting murderers back on the street.

lol, holy shit.

OK, for a start - how was Leslie Bibb's character responsible for putting murderers back on the street?

The Clyde character was fucking reprehensible and Gerard Butler can't act. He started out with a Dexter-like idea of vigilante justice where he's going after people who have gotten through the cracks in the system, which is a gray area to begin with, but if there are indications that these people may kill/rape again, it is somewhat understandable. But then Clyde is just killing people with a vague, unexplained idea of "bringing down the system" and this includes people who had nothing to do with getting the murderers off. He then wants to blow up the building the Mayor is in which also contains dozens of innocent people.

But all in all, the movie was so proud of its stupidity that you had to kinda admire it.

[Bourne101]

Exactly what the problem is with the film. The film starts out with Gerard Butler being the protagonist, then he starts going absolutely nuts and sort of becomes an antagonist, but then all of the sudden Jamie Foxx becomes the protagonist even though he's nothing but a piece of shit.

I know you are trying to argue against what I was saying, but I think when it comes right down to it we basically share the same view. And I agree on Leslie Bibb's character, I should have mentioned that in my post.