Law Abiding Citizen

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2:25

Law Abiding Citizen

R

2009

1h 48m

Mystery & Thriller

Crime

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

26%

Tomatometer

161 Reviews

75%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

Clyde Shelton 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 cuts a deal with one of the killers in exchange for testimony. Ten years later, that man is found dead.

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

01/06/2021

2/5

It's basically Saw with Gerard Butler as Jigsaw, which means he's as righteous of body as he is of mind.

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Candice Frederick

Reel Talk Online

09/12/2017

B+

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.

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Giles Hardie

Sydney Morning Herald

01/30/2010

4/5

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.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Nov 13

1.5/4

A gruesome melodrama that, too afraid to tackle the issues it brings up, instead elects to transform into a ridiculous thriller about a psychopath terrorizing a city.

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Jeff Beck

The Blu Spot

Jul 9

3/5

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.

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

08/30/2023

2/4

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

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Haley A.

@haleyar11 May 23

The movie is entertaining and worth the watch, however it lacks a lot of sense. The skills Butler’s character has could have been used at the beginning of the movie to prevent the entire plot from happening.

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Oscar T

@Mr.1take May 19

Gerard Butlers best work, ending could have been better though.

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Charles P.

@xXCharlieRecklessXx May 14

Excellent movie in the vein of Marvel’s Punisher. A film about what Justice is and what it can look like. I believe it should be recommend viewing personally.

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Antonio B.

@AntonioBatt May 8

I enjoy both main actors and it was exciting movie to follow with a fun plot twist at the end. Nothing crazy but i enjoyed it

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Vaeyens D

@Vayka Mar 16

"This is a top movie for me. Gerard Butler at his best... ❤️"

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Gianluca R

@rei_lex Mar 1

A masterpiece of the revenge series. You will love Clyde Shelton, even if he sacrifies some innocent, you will hate Nick Rice, an ego narcissist without a bit of empathy, only striving of victory in the law court. Rage at his maximum.

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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

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Law Abiding Citizen: Trailer 1

2:25

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Synopsis

Clyde Shelton 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 cuts a deal with one of the killers in exchange for testimony. Ten years later, that man is found dead.

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