The idea of a man taking the wheel of justice in his own hands and dedicating his entire life to the pursuit of revenge is not at all new in the realm of cinematography. For example, Payback from ’99 with Mel Gibson already walked down that road and did it nicely, but Law Abiding Citizen has managed to polish this idea and bring it as close to perfection as a movie could ever do.

Clyde Shelton (Gerard Butler) loses his wife and daughter during a home invasion. Soon after, the two criminals are captured and brought to face justice, but in order to maintain a high conviction rate, the prosecutor Nick Rice (Jamie Fox) cuts a deal with one of them in exchange for his testimony against the other. As a result one of the murderers gets a highly reduced sentence while the other is facing death row and ten years pass before that conviction is carried out. Ten years is more than enough to prepare revenge, especially for a man that has lost everything, especially for a man of Clyde’s training, talent and resources. After so much time the revenge can only be one of biblical proportions and the movie does not disappoint from this point of view.

Apart from the refreshing feeling of seeing justice (finally) served in such a brutal, direct, “an eye for an eye” manner and apart from giving you the chance of enjoying a mental duel where one of the combatants is in total control of the battlefield, the film has the rare quality of rising some serious questions regarding the way in which the justice system functions, and this is not limited to the US one alone. Also, this is not another movie about a corrupt system, but about an imperfect system, much like everything else man-made and the film dares to hint at solution, although I doubt it will ever be applied. If such things that have a possible social value mean absolutely nothing to you, then rest assured: Law Abiding Citizen has a serious enough dose of explosions and gun fire to keep your popcorn hunger at bay.

The crew of actors that give life to the film’s characters doesn’t come short of impressive. Gerard Butler has convinced us once more than he is more than just a pretty face or pumped up puppet that can screams Rambo style, but a fully developed actor that can deliver extraordinary performances regardless of the roles he is given. Jamie Foxx has proven his worth in movies such as Any Given Sunday or Ray and I don’t think there is any doubt left in anyone’s mind that he can act in almost everything it’s thrown at him. These two would have been sufficient to draw the public’s attention, but the casting is whole lot more shiny than that. Actors such as Colm Meaney, Bruce McGill and many other familiar names and faces offer a solid foundation for a movie that aimed surprisingly high if we are to consider its initial production value. As a side note here, I think that Josh Stewart has the potential of delivering quality acting if he is given the chance of slipping into more demanding roles.

The recipe for Law Abiding Citizen was pretty simple, but that doesn’t mean it should be overlooked by viewers with more exquisite tastes, because if you tear the whole “sweet revenge” facade down and remove all the special effects, you will have something left that is still worth more than the value of the ticket. Bottom line: a popcorn movie maybe, but a must-see nevertheless.

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