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Tell Others About This Page By Using This Button "LAW ABIDING CITIZEN" (2009) (Jamie Foxx, Gerard Butler) (R) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Heavy Extreme Extreme Moderate Extreme Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Moderate Moderate Heavy None Extreme Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Heavy Minor Extreme Heavy Extreme QUICK TAKE: Suspense/Thriller: A decade after the murder of his wife and child, a man sets out to get revenge on both the criminals and those involved with the legal system that dealt with the case. PLOT: Nick Rice (JAMIE FOXX) is a hot-shot prosecuting attorney in Philadelphia who's made a name for himself, what with working under the wing of Jonas Cantrell (BRUCE McGILL) and ending up with a conviction rate in the upper nineties. Not everyone is completely pleased with his hard work, however, including his wife, Kelly (REGINA HALL), who thinks he should spend more time with their 10-year-old daughter, Denise (EMERALD-ANGEL YOUNG). Then there's Clyde Shelton (GERARD BUTLER). Ten years ago, criminals Clarence Darby (CHRISTIAN STOLTE) and Rupert Ames (JOSH STEWART) broke into his house and killed his wife and daughter. While Nick got both thugs jail time -- the most severe for Ames despite his partner being the main culprit -- Darby is now out due to a plea bargain, and Clyde isn't happy. After getting his revenge on the two thugs, efforts that draw the attention of Det. Dunnigan (COLM MEANEY) and Det. Garza (MICHAEL IRBY), Clyde allows himself to be arrested, with Nick now having to work a case against him with the help of his aide, Sarah Lowell (LESLIE BIBB). Clyde, however, is undeterred by his opponent's success rate or even being locked up. And Nick soon understands why as various people involved with the decade-old double murder case soon start dying as well, with every implication being that Clyde is responsible. From that point on, the prosecutor and others try to figure out if that's the case and how the suspect is carrying out his vendetta while behind bars. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? They might if they're fans of anyone in the cast or vigilante style suspense/thrillers. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R For strong bloody brutal violence and torture, a scene of rape, and pervasive language. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: JAMIE FOXX plays a Philadelphia prosecuting attorney who's quite good at what he does, although his wife isn't pleased with the long hours he works, and some victims, particularly Clyde, aren't completely satisfied by the amount of time he gets for those he puts away. After Clyde starts getting revenge on those who wronged him, Nick tries to figure out how he's doing that while behind bars, as well as wondering if he might also be a target of revenge. He uses strong profanity. GERARD BUTLER plays an inventor with a secret background who bides his time before enacting his revenge on the criminals who killed his wife and daughter ten years earlier, as well as those who worked on the legal case, but not to his satisfaction. He's responsible for the deaths of various people, and uses strong profanity. COLM MEANEY and MICHAEL IRBY play local detectives working the case of various murders that appear to have been committed by Clyde. They try to figure out if that's true and how he's managing to do so while behind bars. Both use strong profanity. BRUCE McGILL plays Nick's boss and/or mentor who advises him about how to deal with Clyde's case, past and present. LESLIE BIBB plays Nick's assistant in the Philly justice department who helps him try to figure out how Clyde is committing his crimes. REGINA HALL plays Nick's wife who isn't happy with his long hours that prevent him from spending as much time with their daughter, played by EMERALD-ANGEL YOUNG, as he should. CHRISTIAN STOLTE plays a low-life criminal who, along with Ames, broke into Clyde's house where he killed (and apparently raped) his wife and also killed their daughter. He uses strong profanity, as well as some cocaine. JOSH STEWART plays his criminal partner who was involved in the break-in but not the murders. He uses strong profanity. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this R-rated suspense/thriller. Profanity consists of at least 49 "f" words, while other expletives and colorful phrases are also uttered. Brief sexual and genital related comments are present, as is brief nudity (bare butts). Violence consists of various murders, torture, the beginning of an apparent rape and the wounding and/or striking of others. Much of that has bloody results to varying degrees, and those scenes and moments of potential peril might be unsettling and/or suspenseful to some viewers. There's brief drug use (cocaine) and a drug-related comment, as well as brief smoking. All sorts of bad attitudes are present, as is some behavior that might be enticing for kids to imitate, while tense family material is present. Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. For those prone to visually induced motion sickness, there are varying amounts of handheld camera movement (sometimes fairly bouncy) at various points in the film. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE Darby snorts some cocaine. Clyde mentions junkies coming by a piece of property and then asks about Darby being involved in the drug trade. BLOOD/GORE Clyde has blood on his shirt after he's attacked. We see a needle being inserted into a vein as the lethal injection process begins on Ames. We then see three tube containers compressing downward as the formula is pumped into him, but he then starts violently convulsing while strapped down, eventually leading to protruding veins, black spots on his skin (including around his eyes), and possibly some blood soaked through sections of his clothing. We see small bloody marks on Darby's palm from spikes that erupted from a handgun he was holding and injected him with a paralyzing agent. We see the results of Clyde's torture and murder of Darby, with blood running off a table, followed by a view of the torso (sans arms or legs) and the severed head a few feet away. Clyde repeatedly stabs his prison cell mate in the neck with a shiv, quickly killing that man and resulting in blood everywhere (on the man, Clyde, the wall, etc.). A cell phone explodes at a woman's head, instantly killing her, with very bloody results. Nick repeatedly punches Clyde (who's cuffed) in the face, slightly bloodying his mouth. A man is bloody after being shot inside an SUV. We see some black and white photos of Clyde's dead wife from before. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE Darby and Ames burst into Clyde's house, beat him up, apparently rape and kill his wife and kill his daughter off-screen. Ames' lawyer comments on Sarah's legs looking good (at his client's execution). Off the record and speaking as a husband and dad, Nick tells Clyde "bravo" for killing Darby. After a female judge appears ready to grant him bail following him bringing up a past precedent, Clyde verbally berates her, saying she was going to jump on that bail granting "like a bitch in heat" and then adds, "I bet you take it up the f*cking ass." Clyde jokes that his prison cell mate has a boyfriend in the joint. After some persuasion from Nick, a judge agrees to violate Clyde's rights. Clyde gets his revenge on those who wronged him (or that he thinks had a hand in doing so) by killing many of them. FRIGHTENING SCENES Scenes listed under "Violence," "Blood/Gore" and "Jump Scenes" may be unsettling and/or suspenseful to younger viewers and/or those with low tolerance levels for such material. Clyde answers a knock at the door, with Darby and Ames bursting in. Clyde is hit several times with a baseball bat, slowly stabbed and then bound and gagged. His wife is thrown aside, pinned down (and possibly raped, Darby pulls down her pants but we don't see the act, with Ames telling him to stop), and then stabbed, and their daughter is carried off by Darby (he kills her, but we don't see or hear any of that). We see a needle being inserted into a vein as the lethal injection process begins on Ames. We then see three tube containers compressing downward as the formula is pumped into him, but he then starts violently convulsing while strapped down, eventually leading to protruding veins, black spots on his skin (including around his eyes), and possibly some blood soaked through sections of his clothing. We see that Clyde has Darby strapped down on a table for torture, and Clyde injects him with adrenaline to heighten the experience. He then holds a utility knife that he informs Darby is for his penis, but they'll get to that later, and then shows a scalpel that he's going to use on his eyelids. He then positions a large mirror above the table so Darby must watch, sets up a video camera to record everything, and then takes a rotary saw to Darby's leg. We hear, but don't see the impact of that sawing. We later see the results of Clyde's work, with blood running off that table, followed by a view of the torso (sans arms or legs) and the severed head a few feet away. Denise receives what she thinks is a DVD of her recital, but when she starts to play it, the young girl is horrified to see the early part of Clyde's torture video of him killing Darby (we see the rotary saw, but not the impact). While in prison, Clyde threatens the life of Darby's attorney, with Nick and others racing by helicopter to try and find the lawyer before it's too late. They eventually find him, buried in a hole, with an oxygen mask and IV in his arm, but they're minutes late and the man is dead. Clyde repeatedly stabs his prison cell mate in the neck with a shiv, quickly killing that man and resulting in blood everywhere (on the man, Clyde, the wall, etc.). Clyde demands that he be released or that he'll kill everyone at 6 a.m. We later see Nick, Sarah and others anxiously watching the clock as that time nears and then arrives. Several cars suddenly explode in a parking lot. A woman is in one and can't seem to get out, followed by her car exploding as well (seen from the outside). Det. Garza slowly opens a case that contains a bomb. GUNS/WEAPONS Handguns/Machine gun/Explosives/Knives/Shiv: Carried and/or used to threaten, wound or kill others and/or cause property damage. See "Violence" for details. S.W.A.T. members carry automatic weapons. Prison guards carry rifles. Det. Dunnigan and Det. Garza have their handguns drawn as they look for Clyde. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "Get the f*ck out of here," "F*cking stop," "Shut the f*ck up," "She f*cks up, it's on you," "Please f*ck this up so I can destroy you," "Who the f*ck is this?" "M*therf*cker," "What the f*ck /is that/are we looking for?" "Rise and f*cking shine, bitch," "Wake the f*ck up," "Get the f*ck down there," "F*cked up, ain't it?" "More than you could ever f*cking imagine," "Let's stop f*cking around," "F*ck no," "I bet you take it up the f*cking ass," "F*ck you and your pomme frites," "F*ck him," "F*ck this guy," "You boys sure f*cked this one up," "Total f*cking war," "F*ck his civil rights," "Un-f*cking-believable," "We're f*cked," "That's some bullsh*t," "Sh*t-head," "Crazy ones scare the sh*t out of me," "This case is sh*t," "Some really nasty sh*t," "Oh sh*t," "The pr*ck," "You jump on it like a bitch in heat," "He sawed the guy's d*ck off," "Crazy ass," "Your mother's a hard ass," "What the hell is going on here?" "Bitch on the floor," "I don't give a damn," "Dumb ass," "I don't care who you have to piss off," "Broads," "I'm just getting warmed up" and "It's gonna be Biblical." Some kids may be inspired to imitate the vigilantism present in the movie or come up with their own version based on what's seen here. A prisoner has tattoos. JUMP SCENES A cell phone explodes at a woman's head, instantly killing her, with very bloody results (a big jump scene). MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) A heavy amount of ominous and suspenseful music plays in the film. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY At least 49 "f" words (7 used with "mother"), 12 "s" words, 2 slang terms using male genitals ("d*ck" and "pr*ck"), 5 asses (1 used with "hole"), 3 damns, 2 hells, 4 uses of "Jesus Christ," 3 of "Jesus" and 1 use of "For Christ's sakes." SEX/NUDITY We briefly see the bare butt of Clyde's wife when Darby pulls down her pants while pinning her to the floor, apparently to rape her, but we don't see that act. Ames' lawyer comments on Sarah's legs looking good (at his client's execution). We see the bare butt of a woman as she sleeps and/or is passed out on Darby's floor. We see that Clyde has Darby strapped down on a table for torture, and Clyde holds a utility knife that he informs Darby is for his penis, but they'll get to that later. Clyde strips down for his pending arrest and we see a full rear nude view of him as he stands there (we later see him shirtless in jeans as he's lead away). After a female judge appears ready to grant him bail following him bringing up a past precedent, Clyde verbally berates her, saying she was going to jump on that bail granting "like a bitch in heat" and then adds, "I bet you take it up the f*cking ass." Clyde states he cut off Darby's "balls" with a hacksaw and his penis with a box cutter. Later, someone states, "He sawed the guy's d*ck off." Clyde jokes that his prison cell mate has a boyfriend in the joint. SMOKING A miscellaneous person smokes. TENSE FAMILY SCENES Clyde must contend with being physically unable to protect or save his wife and daughter from being attacked and killed by Darby. All of that is what then drives his behavior ten years after the fact. Kelly is mad that Nick is too busy with work to attend their daughter's cello recital. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT The comment that some legal justice is better than no justice at all. The comment that it's not what you know, it's what you can prove in court. Darby's comment that you can't fight fate. Vigilantism. VIOLENCE Clyde answers a knock at the door, with Darby and Ames bursting in. Clyde is hit several times with a baseball bat, slowly stabbed and then bound and gagged. His wife is thrown aside, pinned down (and possibly raped, Darby pulls down her pants but we don't see the act, with Ames telling him to stop), and then stabbed, and their daughter is carried off by Darby (he kills her, but we don't see or hear any of that). We see a needle being inserted into a vein as the lethal injection process begins on Ames. We then see three tube containers compressing downward as the formula is pumped into him, but he then starts violently convulsing while strapped down, eventually leading to protruding veins, black spots on his skin (including around his eyes), and possibly some blood soaked through sections of his clothing. We later learn that Clyde was behind the switching of the ingredients. Darby kicks a woman who's asleep and/or passed out on his floor. Darby fires at cops from a roof as they arrive in squad cars. Darby hits a cop who's supposedly been subdued in his squad car, but that turns out to be Clyde in disguise. We see small bloody marks on Darby's palm from spikes that erupted from a handgun he was holding and injected him with a paralyzing agent. We see a bound and gagged cop in his squad car trunk (that's open), following Clyde having subdued him earlier (not seen). We see that Clyde has Darby strapped down on a table for torture, and Clyde injects him with adrenaline to heighten the experience. He then takes a rotary saw to Darby's leg. We hear, but don't see the impact of that sawing. We later see the results of Clyde's work, with blood running off that table, followed by a view of the torso (sans arms or legs) and the severed head a few feet away. Cops kick in a door to get to Clyde. While in prison, Clyde threatens the life of Darby's attorney, with Nick and others racing by helicopter to try and find the lawyer before it's too late. They eventually find him, buried in a hole, with an oxygen mask and IV in his arm, but they're minutes late and the man is dead. Clyde repeatedly stabs his prison cell mate in the neck with a shiv, quickly killing that man and resulting in blood everywhere (on the man, Clyde, the wall, etc.). A cell phone explodes at a woman's head, instantly killing her, with very bloody results. Several cars suddenly explode in a parking lot. A woman is in one and can't seem to get out, followed by her car exploding as well (seen from the outside). Nick repeatedly punches Clyde (who's cuffed) in the face, slightly bloodying his mouth. A remote controlled, bomb-diffuser type robot is equipped with a massive machine gun that it uses to blast an SUV, followed by a missile shot that causes it to explode, killing anyone who was left inside. We see flames erupt behind a man, followed by views of them erupting from outside the building, strongly suggesting the man was killed by the fiery explosion. Reviewed September 30, 2009 / Posted October 16, 2009

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