Law Abiding Citizen (2009)

A frustrated man decides to take justice into his own hands after a plea bargain sets one of his family's killers free. He targets not only the killer but also the district attorney and others involved in the deal.

Director:

F. Gary Gray

Writer:

Kurt Wimmer

Stars:

Jamie Foxx, Gerard Butler, Colm Meaney

2 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jamie Foxx	...	Nick Rice
Gerard Butler	...	Clyde Shelton
Colm Meaney	...	Detective Dunnigan
Bruce McGill	...	Jonas Cantrell
Leslie Bibb	...	Sarah Lowell
Michael Irby	...	Detective Garza
Gregory Itzin	...	Warden Iger
Regina Hall	...	Kelly Rice
Emerald-Angel Young	...	Denise Rice (as Emerald Angel Young)
Christian Stolte	...	Clarence Darby
Annie Corley	...	Judge Laura Burch
Richard Portnow	...	Bill Reynolds
Viola Davis	...	Mayor
Michael Kelly	...	Bray
Josh Stewart	...	Rupert Ames (as Joshua Stewart)

Storyline

Clyde Shelton's family is brutally murdered. The ones responsible are caught. However, because of improper procedure, the D.A., Nick Rice only has circumstantial evidence. So he decides to get one of them to testify against the other. When Shelton learns of this, he is not happy. Ten years later, the one who was convicted is being executed but something goes wrong; his execution goes awry and he suffers. They learn that someone tampered with the machine. And the other one is found dead, killed in a gruesome manner. Rice suspects Shelton, so he has him picked up. At first, Shelton agrees to a plea agreement with Rice but changes his mind. It appears that Shelton is not done, it appears he blames the whole system and is declaring war on it going after everyone involved with his family's case. So Rice has to stop him but Shelton is way ahead of him.

---

Plot Keywords:

justice | district attorney | deal | unjust system | shot in the head | 

---

Taglines:

They killed his family. Now justice is his vengeance. (UK Quad)

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong bloody brutal violence and torture, a scene of rape, and pervasive language

Details

Official Sites:

Constantin Film [Germany] Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 October 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

Días de ira

Filming Locations:

500 Cheyney Rd, Glen Mills, Pennsylvania, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$50,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£1,488,143 (UK) (27 November 2009)

Gross:

$73,343,413 (USA) (29 January 2010)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Film Department, The, Warp Film, Evil Twins (I)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min 118 min (director's cut)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Portions of this movie were filmed in the former Broad Meadows correctional facility. Since 1995 when a new Delaware County, Pennsylvania correctional facility opened, Broad Meadows has been used for storage, according to the Delaware County Times newspaper. The now-closed Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadephia was used for some prison exteriors.

---

Goofs

During the first court room scene a smoke machine can be seen in the background.

---

Quotes

[from trailer]
Nick Rice: You end this!
Clyde Shelton: [smiles] I'm just gettin' warmed up.

---

Connections

Referenced in The Jay Leno Show: Episode #1.16 (2009)

---

Soundtracks

"Engine Number 9"
Written by Chino Moreno (as Chino Camilo Moreno), Cheng Chi (as Chi Cheng),
Stephen Carpenter, Abe Cunningham
Performed by Deftones
Courtesy of Maverick Recording Company/Warner Bros. Records Inc.
By Arrangement with Warner Music Group Film & TV Licensing

User Reviews

Great Idea, Poor Ending

This is a great idea. A technical genius who is somehow able to commit revenge murders from his jail cell. He doesn't hide the fact he's a killer; in fact he announces each murder just before it happens.

Technically everything was possible and the method very cleverly hidden so I was kept in suspense until the last 20 minutes when the cat was let out of the bag too early. The ending is a let down. It's true Hollywood: Technically improbable, illogical, and in my opinion it spoils all the character development made until that point and wastes the opportunity for a much darker ending with a more satisfying outcome.

All that said I really enjoyed it. I would recommend it to anyone not disturbed by moderate violence. Go see it!