Law Abiding Citizen
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Metascore
34 out of 100

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

User Score
6.4 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 171 Ratings

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0 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?
  4. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Joe Neumaier
    30
    Such a lazy action-drama underachiever, it seems unfair to target stars Jamie Foxx and Gerard Butler for bringing their C game.

See all 26 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 50 out of 86
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 86
  3. Negative: 21 out of 86
  1. ChrisK
    10
    Excellent movie showing government corruption. The ending isn't perfect but still I give this a 10/10.
  2. markg.
    8
    Because it's better than Seven! heh heh. Slightly weak 3rd act though.
  3. DougG.
    5
    Some shocking moments, but the movie is very flawed and the ending is horrible.
  4. hoops2448
    4
    Law Abiding Citizen plays with some interesting themes and issues but it doesn't seem to have a clue what it wants to say. Is the justice system corrupt? Is serious reform needed? Are Clyde's (Gerard Butler) actions justified? The film never gets close to answering these questions as it fumbles from act to act. It's a shame really because the performances aren't bad, Butler plays light and dark well with Jamie Foxx actually being a perfect foil for him as the straight laced realist. They play well off each other and dialogue wise, the script is pretty good so some scenes are thoroughly entertaining at least aesthetically. The problem is that the final product is so remarkably empty you can't look back on the things you like and leave the viewing with a positive reaction. It's a film trying to make some kind of a point but all you really get is a dark, gritty thriller that is void of substance. It doesn't help that the last 40 minutes move the film from gritty, character drama to cliche filled farce with a final twist so remarkably stupid it just ruins it further.… Expand

See all 86 User Reviews

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