That the film, directed in swift strokes by F. Gary Gray from a screenplay credited to Kurt Wimmer, doesn't really work - unrelentingly grim, unintentionally funny - is almost beside the point. It's a wild concept.
50
Miami HeraldRene Rodriguez
Miami HeraldRene Rodriguez
The payback in Law Abiding Citizen doesn't have a cathartic kick, because the revenge is so extreme it's horrifying.
42
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
Clyde is meant to be nuts, but too often it's Law Abiding Citizen that checks rationality at the door.
40
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
Law Abiding Citizen, ultimately and inappropriately, tips the scales in favor of the Man over mankind. Somebody call Charles Bronson.
38
Rolling StonePeter Travers
Rolling StonePeter Travers
Jeez, did the "surprise" climax have to be this eye-rollingly stupid?
30
Village Voice
Village Voice
If the filmmakers meant a word of it, they'd quit making films and do something more useful. "Saw" with a conscience is not what the world needs.
25
St. Louis Post-DispatchJoe Williams
St. Louis Post-DispatchJoe Williams
A vigilante/torture-porn potpourri, is particularly toxic because it's scented with phony importance.
A flagrantly ridiculous thriller that tries to retrofit "Saw" to function as a mainstream, semi-respectable vigilante picture
25
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
Like a lot of action-movie directors, Gray lacks the imagination to view the art of cat-and-mouse as more than a chance to play with state-of-the-art war technology.