Back in the ‘90s, the serial killer subgenre of the thriller was in its heyday. It’s easy to see why with the The Silence of the Lambs leading the way at the start of the decade. By the middle of the decade was another highpoint, Seven. Sometime after that everything about the subgenre became formulaic. I suppose you the Saw series could be classified amongst these, but let’s not kid ourselves. Law Abiding Citizen is much more comparable.
Law Abiding Citizen doesn’t waste time. In the opening scene we are quickly introduced to Clyde Shelton (Gerard Butler). He’s a family man, or so it appears, until some thugs invade his home and kill his family. Clyde survives the attack and with the help of prosecutor Nick Rice (Jamie Foxx), he seeks the death penalty for the two men involved. Unfortunately for Clyde, Nick cuts a deal with one of the murders so he can maintain his excellent conviction rate. From this point forward Clyde is transformed into a figure of revenge as he sets out to rewrite the legal system. He doesn’t just target the criminals in prison, but also the snakes in the courtroom.
The most interesting things about Law Abiding Citizen is that it explores the gray area between good and evil. The audience sympathizes with Clyde through many of his early actions. The gore of his chaos is shown off screen; that is until he starts to target those most of us would find innocent. He has a believable motive of course, and as he sets out to make an example of the legal system, I found myself usually rooting for him. On the other hand Jamie Foxx as Nick Rice is sympathetic but underplayed. He shares some common ground with Clyde and isn’t anymore “good” as Clyde is “evil”.
Back in the ‘90s there was some kind of puzzle associated with the killer. A clue would be given to the police, and we’d follow them as they try and sort it out. Usually the audience would be given enough of a heads-up that they would be offered the chance to solve the riddle before the detectives. In this movie, there isn’t any motivation for Clyde to make a puzzle of what he is doing. He’s rather forward about it, setting timetables for requests that point out the trouble with the bureaucratic nature of the legal system. Even while behind bars his vengeance continues, which I felt made for a worthy twist.
Law Abiding Citizen could have been more attractive. It’s helmed by F. Gary Gray who made the similar A Man Apart. Cool tones dominate the palette and little creativity is used in shot composition and editing, but it remains a professional film that moves quickly and stays compelling. It’s intense and unpredictable. Law Abiding Citizen is escapist cinema that plays with a what-if-scenario that many of us have unfortunately lived through. The message behind the film tells us that the numbers on paper don’t reflect what is right; certainly a note worth passing along. ***
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