Law Abiding Citizen

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2:25

Law Abiding Citizen

R

Released Oct 16, 2009

1h 48m

Mystery & Thriller

Crime

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

26%

Tomatometer

162 Reviews

75%

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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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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

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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

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

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Om P

One of my favorite movies. You can literally see how much thought they put in to this movie and how the cast and crew worked on it. It's a great commentary of our justice system and how it actually doesn't provide adequate justice. All the critics and others giving bad review failed to grasp the core concept.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/07/25

Full Review

Dan B

The pacing is ok. But the story is ridiculous. And acting at points is off. The whole movie doesn't add up. Skip this one, you won't miss a thing.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

09/02/25

Full Review

Obi-wan K

Ultimate Ragebait 🥲🥀

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

08/21/25

Full Review

Eunice J.

Plot kept me entertained and enjoyed it

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

08/20/25

Full Review

Andrew P.

Is it absolutely crazy and completely unbelievable? Yes But it’s still GREAT!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/09/25

Full Review

Maxwell S

I'll never understand why the critics don't like this movie. When it's comes to the revenge motif this movie hits like freaking 12 gauge. The ineffectiveness of the justice system coupled with dirtbag sociopathic criminals paves the way for a wronged man to calculate his own justice and jack EVERYTHING up. This movie is freaking awesome... unless violence isn't your thing.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

08/08/25

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

Sarah Lowell

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Law Abiding Citizen: Trailer 1

2:25

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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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