Law Abiding Citizen [2009]
This film had an interesting plot line that at first wasn't overly appealing to me. A man has his family killed in front of him and the justice system does what it can, but it's not enough and doesn't appear fair or just to the survivor. This sounds like any day of the week in the court system in the USA to me. Some people are criminals and receive what they deserve and others don't appear to receive justice at all. Gerald Butler plays the main character in this film and his family is shown to be killed in the beginning of the film. We see the trial and Butler's character is not happy that one of the criminals is about to be a cooperative witness and receive preferential treatment by the D.A and the judge.
Ten years flashes bye and we are at present day. Butler as we later find out has taken the last ten years to prepare his teaching plan and is ready to implement it, but it's not an easy plan to watch or to follow at times in this movie. Butler begins a systematic removal of each of the criminals as well as each of the members of the courts who he deems as responsible for the lack of justice in his family's killing. It is an interesting story-and one in which can only be told in film. In a movie you can do anything and have any outcome and this is definitely true with Butler's character. He's put in prison for the alleged murder of the remaining criminal who was involved in his family's killing. He then proceeds to get himself thrown in solitary confinement and despite being under 24 hour scrutiny he's able to eliminate the judge, district attorney and DA staff involved in the original case.
The movie is suspenseful and at times intense, but I found myself rooting for Gerald Butler. I'm not sure if it was because his character lost his family, or if it was because they were murdered in front of him, or even because of the apparent lack of concern by the DA's office that made me want him to succeed in his quest to eliminate everyone involved, but I had no desire to see Jamie Foxx win at the end of the film. I kept thinking to myself that this is a movie and that all things are possible, so that means that somehow Gerald Butler will walk out of prison and everything will be made right.
Needless to say I was not happy with the ending. It may make others happy or feel that justice was served in the film, but I wasn't pleased to see that Jamie Foxx walks away and Gerald Butler dies at the end. Films at times are supposed to make you feel better or help teach you something, and that can be done by suspending your disbelief. I suspended my disbelief through two hours of this movie only to find the last page to be quite bitter.
Law Abiding Citizen [2009]
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1197624/
Tuesday- 3rd November 2009
