Law Abiding Citizen

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2:25

Law Abiding Citizen

R

2009

1h 48m

Mystery & Thriller

Crime

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

26%

Tomatometer

162 Reviews

75%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

Clyde Shelton is an honorable family man, until the day his wife and daughter are murdered in a home invasion. He hopes for justice, but a rising prosecutor named Nick Rice cuts a deal with one of the killers in exchange for testimony. Ten years later, that man is found dead.

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Critics Consensus

Unnecessarily violent and unflinchingly absurd, Law Abiding Citizen is plagued by subpar acting and a story that defies reason.

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Keith Uhlich

Time Out

It's basically Saw with Gerard Butler as Jigsaw, which means he's as righteous of body as he is of mind.

Rated: 2/5

Jan 6, 2021

Full Review

Candice Frederick

Reel Talk Online

There were surprises, twists and turns and could get graphic at times, but overall the movie was fast-paced, well performed, and kept your attention until the very end.

Rated: B+

Sep 12, 2017

Full Review

Giles Hardie

Sydney Morning Herald

For large portions of Law Abiding Citizen we're not sure who is going to be the winner here, nor who we want to be, and though it won't make for much of a date flick, as far as intelligent action flicks go, it gets two big burly thumbs up.

Rated: 4/5

Jan 30, 2010

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

A gruesome melodrama that, too afraid to tackle the issues it brings up, instead elects to transform into a ridiculous thriller about a psychopath terrorizing a city.

Rated: 1.5/4

Nov 13, 2025

Full Review

Jeff Beck

The Blu Spot

What we end up with here is about two-thirds of a good film that's regrettably ruined by some poor writing in the third act.

Rated: 3/5

Jul 9, 2025

Full Review

Ezequiel Boetti

EscribiendoCine

Reassuring and too conservative... [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 4/10

Aug 9, 2024

Full Review

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few m

solid revenge fantasy

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

11/16/25

Full Review

James D. B

No, it's not high art cinema. It's a very entertaining movie with strong ethical dilemmas that many people come across (more and more frequently). Perhaps not on this scale (i.e., family murdered) but many people can sympathize. Not sure what the 26% review is about, given the garbage that is rated 70+%. The overall concept is good. The dialogue could have been improved in a few spots which would have improved the film dramatically. And a few formulaic scenes.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

11/15/25

Full Review

JM H

Too violent and you can only hope unrealistic since the bad guy who got off easy left his DNA all over the place. That takes some serious incompetence to make the deal the writers gave him. Maybe if they had skipped the rape… but wait, this is Hollywood. Still trying to figure out why we gat a full back nude shot of Butler. No apparent reason other than an ass and ab fest.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

11/15/25

Full Review

Raymond R

This is a movie where the focus is on the action. If you pay attention and think about the plot, you'll ask questions and be annoyed. If you can ignore the plot, it was quite entertaining. There's more I'd like to say, but I also don't want to spoil it.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/10/25

Full Review

Paul C

Far better than I expected. vibes of SAW, SEVEN, Silence of the Lambs, James Bond supervillains, and real shocker script ans scenes. it is intense and gripping and, if it were Korean, the violence would have been more explicit and less censored. strong performances, strong cast. strong indictment of America and it will upset its flag-worshippers. Probably why I liked it so much!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/07/25

Full Review

Avery H.

In the genre that is Solo man seeking justice, this is one of the greats. Rather than being an action movie this one is all about mind games. It pushed the genre in a new direction. Butler and Foxxs performances are great.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/07/25

Full Review

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F. Gary Gray

Director

Jamie Foxx

Nick Rice

Gerard Butler

Clyde Shelton

Colm Meaney

Det. Dunnigan

Bruce McGill

Jonas Cantrell

Leslie Bibb

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Law Abiding Citizen: Trailer 1

2:25

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Synopsis

Clyde Shelton is an honorable family man, until the day his wife and daughter are murdered in a home invasion. He hopes for justice, but a rising prosecutor named Nick Rice cuts a deal with one of the killers in exchange for testimony. Ten years later, that man is found dead.

Director: F. Gary Gray
Producer: Lucas Foster, Gerard Butler, Alan Siegel, Mark Gill, Kurt Wimmer, Robert Katz
Screenwriter: Kurt Wimmer
Distributor: Overture Films
Production Co: Warp Films
Rating: R (Rape|Pervasive Language|Strong Bloody Brutal Violence|Torture)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 16, 2009, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 5, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $73.3M
Runtime: 1h 48m

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