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Law Abiding Citizen

  • 2009
  • R
  • 1h 49m
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
334K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,789
679
Jamie Foxx and Gerard Butler in Law Abiding Citizen (2009)
A clip from the movie Law Abiding Citizen.
Play trailer0:55
26 Videos
99+ Photos
ActionCrimeDramaThriller

A frustrated man decides to take justice into his own hands after a plea bargain sets one of his family's killers free.A frustrated man decides to take justice into his own hands after a plea bargain sets one of his family's killers free.A frustrated man decides to take justice into his own hands after a plea bargain sets one of his family's killers free.

  • Director
    • F. Gary Gray
  • Writer
    • Kurt Wimmer
  • Stars
    • Gerard Butler
    • Jamie Foxx
    • Leslie Bibb
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.4/10
    334K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    1,789
    679
    • Director
      • F. Gary Gray
    • Writer
      • Kurt Wimmer
    • Stars
      • Gerard Butler
      • Jamie Foxx
      • Leslie Bibb
    • 753User reviews
    • 236Critic reviews
    • 34Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 3 wins & 5 nominations total

    Videos26

    Law Abiding Citizen: "Don't Even Twitch"
    Trailer 0:55
    Law Abiding Citizen: "Don't Even Twitch"
    Law Abiding Citizen
    Trailer 2:33
    Law Abiding Citizen
    Law Abiding Citizen
    Trailer 2:33
    Law Abiding Citizen
    Law Abiding Citizen
    Clip 1:09
    Law Abiding Citizen
    Law Abiding Citizen
    Clip 0:28
    Law Abiding Citizen
    Law Abiding Citizen
    Clip 0:47
    Law Abiding Citizen
    Law Abiding Citizen
    Clip 0:26
    Law Abiding Citizen

    Photos181

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    + 175
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    Top cast99+

    Edit
    Gerard Butler
    Gerard Butler
    • Clyde Shelton
    Jamie Foxx
    Jamie Foxx
    • Nick Rice
    Leslie Bibb
    Leslie Bibb
    • Sarah Lowell
    Colm Meaney
    Colm Meaney
    • Detective Dunnigan
    Bruce McGill
    Bruce McGill
    • Jonas Cantrell
    Michael Irby
    Michael Irby
    • Detective Garza
    Gregory Itzin
    Gregory Itzin
    • Warden Iger
    Regina Hall
    Regina Hall
    • Kelly Rice
    Emerald-Angel Young
    • Denise Rice
    • (as Emerald Angel Young)
    Christian Stolte
    Christian Stolte
    • Clarence Darby
    Annie Corley
    Annie Corley
    • Judge Laura Burch
    Richard Portnow
    Richard Portnow
    • Bill Reynolds
    Viola Davis
    Viola Davis
    • Mayor
    Michael Kelly
    Michael Kelly
    • Bray
    Josh Stewart
    Josh Stewart
    • Rupert Ames
    • (as Joshua Stewart)
    Roger Bart
    Roger Bart
    • Brian Bringham
    Dan Bittner
    Dan Bittner
    • Sereno
    Evan Hart
    Evan Hart
    • Collins
    • Director
      • F. Gary Gray
    • Writer
      • Kurt Wimmer
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Director F. Gary Gray decided to use Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steakhouse as the restaurant that caters Clyde's lunch after dining there several times during filming. The restaurant was also the location of the film's after-party following its screening at the Philadelphia Film Festival.
    • Goofs
      The instant the neurotoxin hit Darby's system he would have fallen down due to being paralyzed. He would not have been able to just stand there, motionless, as muscles are still used when standing still. He also would not be shaking while lying on the table, even when Clyde injected the adrenaline.
    • Quotes

      Jonas Cantrell: Tell us what we're dealing with. Shelton was a spy?

      Bray: Look, spies are a dime a dozen. I'm a spy. Clyde is a brain. He's a think tank-type guy. His specialty was low-impact kinetic operations.

      Nick Rice: That's a hell of a fancy way to say that he kills people.

      Bray: We kill people. He figured out how to do it without ever being in the same room. It was his gift, and he was the best. One time, we're tasking this tricky target. I mean, we're usin' cruise missiles and Predators, and we even had a B-2 Bomber flatten this guy's villa with JDAM. Alright, we're burnin' up millions in ordnance and we're gettin' nowhere with this guy. So we call Clyde, and we ask him to solve our problem. Clyde develops a Kevlar thread with a high-tech ratchet made of carbon fiber. Put it in a necktie. Two days later, Mrs. Bad Guy comes home, finds Mr. Bad Guy dead on the bathroom tile, choked to death. What I'm sayin' is, just assume that this guy can hear and see everything that you're doing.

      Nick Rice: No. We got him locked away; maximum security.

      Bray: He's in jail, it's because he wants to be in jail. He's a born tactician. Every move that he makes, it means something. That cellmate that he killed, what, you think that was random? No. That's a pawn being moved off the board. If I were you, I'd be lookin' for the next piece. Anybody who had anything to do with that case, he's gonna be comin' after you.

      Nick Rice: So what are you sayin'? You sayin' we can't stop him?

      Bray: Walk into his cell, and put a bullet in his head. Aside from that, no, you can't stop him. If Clyde wants you dead, you're dead.

    • Connections
      Featured in The Jay Leno Show: Episode #1.19 (2009)
    • Soundtracks
      Mr. Tambourine Man
      Written by Bob Dylan

      Performed by The Studio Sound Ensemble

      Courtesy of Countdown Media GmbH

    User reviews753

    Featured review
    6/10

    Seething expose of America's justice system

    LAW ABIDING CITIZEN has all the trademarks of a great film. A non-linear plot, plenty to say about the state of the world today, some tough performances and explosive sequences. Best of all, it blurs the line between good and evil so that you're never quite sure who you're supposed to root for, which guy's the villain and which guy's the hero.

    Gerard Butler stars as the ordinary man whose family is killed in a burglary gone wrong. Butler then undergoes a startling transformation as he sets up a campaign of revenge against all those who failed to bring the killers to justice. The film goes from there, starting off dark and becoming increasingly more bleak as the running time goes on.

    It has plenty of incident to keep it running along, and some great scenes: Butler's manipulation of the prison regulations, for instance, or the way he manages to wage his vendetta from the INTERIOR of his prison cell. But, along the way, the film's sense of realism diminishes until we end up with a completely ludicrous event at the end which is designed to bring closure. It's not on par with, say, EAGLE EYE for suspension of disbelief, but it's getting there. It's just a shame, as with some tighter writing this could have been a truly great movie. It turns out to be an intriguing oddity, instead.

    Butler is good as the 'bad guy', effectively channelling some of that Leonidas rage. But, as usual, Jamie Foxx is completely out of his depth as the lawyer. He's a vacuum of talent, an empty space in the middle of the movie surrounded by other, better, more seasoned performers. It's a shame, as the combination of rubbish actor and rubbish ending scupper this movie's best intentions.
    • Leofwine_draca
    • Sep 1, 2012
    • Permalink

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    FAQ21

    • How long is Law Abiding Citizen?Powered by Alexa
    • What is 'Law Abiding Citizen' about?
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    • What are the differences between the theatrical cut and the Unrated Director's Cut?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 16, 2009 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Facebook
    • Languages
      • English
      • Spanish
    • Also known as
      • El vengador
    • Filming locations
      • Holmesburg Prison - 8215 Torresdale Avenue, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
    • Production companies
      • G-BASE
      • The Film Department
      • Warp Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $50,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $73,357,727
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $21,039,502
      • Oct 18, 2009
    • Gross worldwide
      • $127,944,208
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 49 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
      • DTS
      • SDDS
      • Dolby Atmos
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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