Law Abiding Citizen

Everyone loved this film, but for me, a lot was lacking. It’s one of those films where everyone asks you how you liked it and you feel coaxed into saying “it was good” because you know that they are just chomping at the bit to tell you how much they loved it. It’s literally spewing out of their entire person to tell you how much they enjoyed it. I understand why they did too. It’s pretty hard to screw up a revenge flick’s MO. (Something terrible happens to someone close to our protagonist and then he’s out for blood – PAYBACK, RANSOM, THE PUNISHER, etc). Someone much smarter than me once said that there are only two types of films: 1. Fish out of water/coming of age 2. Revenge.

This film for me was like torture porn meets ENEMY OF THE STATE or THE JACKAL – if I could make that jump. Like a HOSTEL or SAW with approved motivators to drive the violence and torture. And of course Gerald Butler’s character is extremely smart/crafty, just like main characters in the other films I mentioned above.

One of the huge problems that I had with this film pertains to the emotional attachment we have to the main character as he experiences the loss of his family right in front of him while he helplessly watches. I wish we had some more time with the father/mother/daughter to create an audience attachment to them as a nuclear family unit. The initial attack happened like 3 screen minutes in and then the next 85% of the film is a cat-n-mouse game. If we would’ve spent more time developing a connection to the family it would’ve justified the excessive revenge violence that plagued the rest of the film. I know that anyone can supposedly relate to the fact that a father saw his wife and daughter murdered and then watched the killers walk free (essentially), but I don’t want to just have to relate. At least with films like RANSOM and THE PUNISHER the directors and writers knew well enough to slow the film down to take time for those sacred, precious family moments which allow for the justified acts afterwards because of how he truly is empty now. (sorry for the rambling). I liked the premise, but I would’ve executed it much, much differently.

P.S. I think I actually like the poster more than the entire movie strung together. Ok that was a tad bit harsh, but it is a good poster.

Rating: 7/10