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Law Abiding Citizen

Play trailer 2:25 Poster for Law Abiding Citizen R Released Oct 16, 2009 1h 48m Mystery & Thriller Crime Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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26% Tomatometer 161 Reviews 75% Popcornmeter 250,000+ Ratings
Clyde Shelton (Gerard Butler) 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 (Jamie Foxx) cuts a deal with one of the killers in exchange for testimony. Ten years later, that man is found dead and Shelton coolly admits his guilt. Then he hands Rice an ultimatum: Fix the broken legal system or suffer the consequences.
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Law Abiding Citizen

Law Abiding Citizen

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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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Critics Reviews

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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 Ezequiel Boetti EscribiendoCine Reassuring and too conservative... [Full review in Spanish] Rated: 4/10 Aug 9, 2024 Full Review Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review Filled with equal parts bloody carnage and plot holes, this vigilante yarn, more concerned with explosions and bloodletting than voicing its potential social commentary, unravels into a disorganized tangle Rated: 2/4 Aug 30, 2023 Full Review Mike Massie Gone With The Twins Offers plenty of entertainment value, provided that viewers are willing to accept several remarkably convenient truths. Rated: 7/10 Nov 29, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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robert h Great movie. Kept you on the edge of your seat. Psychological suspense. Gerard Butler and Jamie Fox, its got to be good. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/10/25 Full Review Thimo R I firmly believe this can be an enjoyable film, as long as you're willing to look past the obvious plot holes, occasional bad acting and logical inconsistencies. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/04/25 Full Review Noah H Great movie. Deserves 8.5 rating. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/29/24 Full Review Nick L Highly underrated, don’t know what’s bad about it. Powerful themes and characters, astonishing performances, particularly Gerard Butler, as a man who lost his faith. Great film, don’t mind the critics, follow your taste. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/18/24 Full Review Spike D RIP to yet another fictional mother who died to save her husband's masculinity. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 12/12/24 Full Review Audience Member This is just a remake of Death Wish? I liked the original better. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 12/09/24 Full Review Read all reviews
Law Abiding Citizen

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis Clyde Shelton (Gerard Butler) 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 (Jamie Foxx) cuts a deal with one of the killers in exchange for testimony. Ten years later, that man is found dead and Shelton coolly admits his guilt. Then he hands Rice an ultimatum: Fix the broken legal system or suffer the consequences.
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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