I’m not entirely sure what I was supposed to get out of Law Abiding Citizen. Instead of siding with the hero, I was pulling for Gerard Butler’s character even though he was leaving a trail of bodies throughout the film. Doubt that was the intention of the filmmakers and it definitely lead to a flat ending and an overall meh opinion of the movie.
Why was Jaime Foxx’s character such a douchebag? We were following his journey as he tries to stop Gerard's killing spree but he was so unlikable that I kept hoping the big twist of the movie would be Jaime’s death. I was not so lucky. On the other hand it was fun to see Butler struggle with an American accent. That was constantly amusing throughout the movie. He also wasn’t shirtless and killing people with his bare hands so that also felt new. Still, he was killing people with elaborate set-ups so I didn't go through much of a withdrawal.
There were many interesting ways that Butler was eliminating his targets. The tension leading up to each murder was the best parts of the movie. This could be another symptom of me actively rooting against Jaime but the confidence and omniscience of Gerard in all these scenes was very amusing. Even if the actual shocks were telegraphed a mile away, there might as well have been a Star Trek red shirt in the parking lot scene. Eh, it was still fun to watch.
Law Abiding Citizen is one of those cookie cutter movies that years from now I will only remember that I saw it and didn't hate it. Would have been fantastic if they went with the twist ending of having Butler win. But I am a sick man and very few movies should be made with me in mind.
7 out of 10
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