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Law Abiding Citizen
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Metascore
34 out of 100

Generally unfavorable - based on 26 Critics What's this?

User Score
6.3 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 138 Ratings

Your Score
10 out of 10
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  • Starring: Gerard Butler, Jamie Foxx, Leslie Bibb
  • Summary: Clyde Shelton is an upstanding family man whose wife and daughter are brutally murdered during a home invasion. When the killers are caught, Nick Rice, a hotshot young Philadelphia prosecutor, is assigned to the case. Over his objections, Nick is forced by his boss to offer one of the suspects a light sentence in exchange for testifying against his accomplice. Fast forward ten years. The man who got away with murder is found dead and Clyde Shelton coolly admits his guilt. Then he issues a warning to Nick: Either fix the flawed justice system that failed his family, or key players in the trial will die. Soon Shelton follows through on his threats, orchestrating from his jail cell a string of spectacularly diabolical assassinations that can be neither predicted nor prevented. Philadelphia is gripped with fear as Shelton's high-profile targets are slain one after another and the authorities are powerless to halt his reign of terror. Only Nick can stop the killing, and to do so he must outwit this brilliant sociopath in a harrowing contest of wills in which even the smallest misstep means death. With his own family now in Shelton's crosshairs, Nick finds himself in a desperate race against time facing a deadly adversary who seems always to be one step ahead. (Overture Films)… Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 26
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 26
  3. Negative: 12 out of 26
  1. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    75
    One of those movies you like more at the time than in retrospect.
  2. Variety
    Reviewed by: Justin Chang
    60
    True torture-porn aficionados will be disappointed, as editor Tariq Anwar cuts away right before blade meets flesh -- a move that feels a tad, well, gutless under the circumstances. But elsewhere, "Citizen" proves startlingly graphic, even by R-rated standards.
  3. Rolling Stone
    Reviewed by: Peter Travers
    38
    Jeez, did the "surprise" climax have to be this eye-rollingly stupid?

See all 26 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 46 out of 76
  2. Mixed: 13 out of 76
  3. Negative: 17 out of 76
  1. grandpajoe6191
    7
    The movie ends with a pretty cliche on top, but its the first 30 minutes of "Law Abiding Citizen" with the tension between Butler and Foxx that will entertain you.… Expand
    • 3 of 5 users said yes
  2. asylumspadez
    5
    What started off so interesting ends so poorly. The acting is fine (I didnt really like Jamie Fox as the lead, Thought he was a poor fit) and the action was good. The story is so generic though that it just takes away from the overall value.… Expand
    • 1 of 1 users said yes
  3. spadenx
    2
    Its so generic, straight forward, and predictable that it ruins the movie. Jamie Foxx is a terrible lead as well, The rest of the cast was ok. Gerald Butler is good though and the only reason to watch the film. The action was ok as well but the entire script was just terrible. A lot of ruined potential here.… Expand
    • 4 of 4 users said yes

See all 76 User Reviews

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