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I was actually really looking forward to this one, and given that I had such an array of movies to choose from today, it was kind of tough to finally settle on one.  But settle I did, and here I am, talking about Law Abiding Citizen with Jamie Foxx and Gerard Butler.

When a couple of random hoodlums break into Clyde Shelton (Gerard Butler)’s house, kill his daughter and kill (and possibly rape) his wife in the process, he gets a first hand look at the magnificent justice system, that’s willing to let one scumbag off with five years in exchange for sending another scumbag to death row.  Brokering the deal in question is hotshot attorney Nick Rice (Jamie Foxx), whose proudest achievement seems to be either his daughter or his ninety-six percent conviction rate.

Clyde, meanwhile, feels the system has let him down and thus launches off on a one man crusade to fix it by first tearing it to the ground in a series of horrendous remote-control murders.

About midway through the movie, I knew that they were going to have to cheat their metaphorical heinies off to get out of this one in anything resembling one piece.  They had set it up so clearly and so beautifully that Clyde Shelton was a remote control killing mastermind that, in order to win, the government was going to have to cheat itself BLIND.

But aside from the ethical and moral ramifications of watching your government toss out the rule book it wrote itself to satisfy its own vendetta against one man, Law Abiding Citizen is a fantastic, thought-provoking movie that ably combines a legal thriller with a mechanical engineering spectacular like Saw.

Yeah, that’s a good way to put it.  Picture Jigsaw in The Pelican Brief and you’ve got a pretty fair idea of what’s going on here.

Law Abiding Citizen is easily one of the best movies I’ve seen in a good long while–yeah, I know, I said that about Zombieland, too.  But they’re in different genres, so it’s still valid.  Oh, sure, there’s a lot of unpleasant things you could say about this movie.  I personally hated that ending, and watching Jamie Foxx’s regular stiff-necked pride throughout the whole thing, even as he was CONSTANTLY being showed up by Clyde was annoying to say the least.

And of course implausibility is simply a matter of course around here (how exactly did Clyde manage any of this stuff?  It assumes ridiculous sets of circumstances that are almost, but not quite, on par with magic.), but if you’ve got a really strong capacity for suspension of disbelief, then you’ll have an incredible time watching this.

Sci-fi buffs, I’m looking at you.

Despite the flaws, I had a great time watching Law Abiding Citizen, and as such, am holding a remote control connected to a bucket of salt and batteries that I have dunked the Screenhead Ten Scale’s feet in, and am forcing it to hand over a seven out of ten for a thought provoking thriller with a few glaring flaws.

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Wannabe filmmakers here is a chance to show off your stuff at Law Abiding Citizen website. We encourage you to visit the site here and take a crack at editing their own trailer for Law Abiding Citizen from a wide selection of clips, graphics, music and sound effects. 

Trailer Mash Up Contest:

The winner will receive a $500 Visa gift card and a chance for the mash-up to be included on the Law Abiding Citizen DVD! 

F. Gary Gray, the director, will personally judge the entries, choose his favorite fan-made trailer and give it a spotlight on the film’s eventual release to home video.

Hurry though, the contest officially ends Tuesday, October 13th, 2009 at 5 p.m. EST. 

Meanwhile, check out this awesome clip of Viola Davis being one tough Mayor of Philadelphia — Be tough girl!!

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I am excited about Gerard Butler’s performance in Law Abiding Citizen. He plays Clyde Shelton, a respectable family man whose wife and daughter are brutally murdered during a home invasion. When the killers are caught, Nick Rice (Jamie Foxx), a hotshot young Philadelphia prosecutor, is assigned to the case. Over his objections, Nick is forced by his boss to offer one of the suspects a light sentence in exchange for testifying against his accomplice.

Move quickly ahead ten years. Here we witness Butler’s ability to emotionally and physically change Clyde Shelton – very impressive.  He’s now psychotic. The man who got away with murder is found dead and Shelton calmly admits his guilt. Then he issues a warning to Nick the either fix the flawed justice system that failed his family, or key players in the trial will die.  Guess what happens?

Soon Shelton follows through on his threats, orchestrating from his jail cell Shelton’s high-profile targets are slain one after another and the authorities are powerless. Only Nick can stop the killing, and to do so he must outwit this brilliant sociopath in a harrowing contest of wills in which even the smallest misstep means death.

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Gerard Butler is really enjoying himself in this movie; especially when his character starts taking revenge against the whole city and particularly Jamie Foxx’s character. You can’t help but notice the real honest-to-good change in his persona after his wife and daughter are killed, a good lesson in acting

Butler makes some real crazy looks and it matches well with Foxx’s sullen, down beaten reactions when he knows he’s up the judicial creek without any leverage.

With that being said, it’s obvious that Law Abiding Citizen movie trailer has spoilers. I feel like I know the whole story just from watching the trailer. I can practically predict the end.  What do you think will happen?

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Oscar nominee Viola Davis has joined Jamie Foxx and Gerard Butler in the psychological thriller Law Abiding Citizen.

F. Gary Gray is directing the film that started shooting January 21 in Philadelphia.

The story centers on a man who, 10 years after his wife and daughter are brutally murdered, returns to correct justice from the assistant district attorney who prosecuted the case against their killers.

Bruce McGill, Leslie Bibb, Colm Meaney and Regina Hall have also joined the cast.

The film should see a domestic release 2010.

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This is quite a casting coup for Law Abiding Citizen with the following actors signing up: Michael Gambon, Leslie Bibb, Colm Meaney and Theresa Randle. 

F. Gary Gray is directing the vigilante movie with Gerard Butler and Jamie Foxx already attached to star. The film has been through multiple re-writes with Sheldon Turner (The Longest Yard) taking his turn before the January 21 start date.  

The movie centers on a district attorney who orchestrates a plea bargain that sets free the killers of another man’s family. The aggrieved victim then seeks personal justice from the D.A.

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Director F. Gary Gray (The Italian Job) is set to replace Frank Darabont in Law Abiding Citizen, the upcoming legal thriller from the Film Department.

The story follows a man enraged by a plea bargain to set his family’s killers free; he proceeds to take revenge on district attorney and those who are related to the bargain.

Darabont, who co-wrote the script, left due to creative differences with producers. Gray then got the project. He is also attached to the Italian Job sequel as well as the remake of the French thriller Armored.

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Those sneaky tipsters at AICN have got word that director Frank Darabont has left the production of Law Abiding Citizen, an upcoming psychological thriller.

The film would tell the story of successful assistant D.A. who finds himself at the center of a vigilante plot by a traumatized victim of the legal system.

The report notes that Darabont’s split with the production wasn’t amicable. No word on how this affects production.

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Jamie Foxx is said to be in negotiations to join the cast of upcoming psychological thriller Law Abiding Citizen. The movie also stars Gerard Butler (300).

The film will tell the story of a successful assistant DA who finds himself at the center of a vigilante plot hatched by a victim of the legal system. Fox’s character is the victim who is devastated to learn that, because of a plea bargain, one of his wife and daughter’s murderers will be set free. And so, he sets out to unleash hell on the killers and the ones who made the deal.

It is being helmed by Frank Darabont who co-wrote the script with Kurt Wimmer.

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