A story of revenge and suffering, Law Abiding Citizen is a thriller about a seriel killer in reverse: he's already in prison when he commits all but two of his many murders, and in solitary for most of that time. With this seemingly original concept and a headline cast of Jamie Foxx and Gerard Butler, Citizen showed great promise for an exciting thriller. Sadly though, the film fails to meet expectations.
Though the concept appeals the imaginative quality dwindles as the story develops. The first third of the film provides a tense exposition but after this the pomposity and general silliness of the characters and narrative becomes too great and it is hard not to be frustrated whilst you watch. The performances are nothing spectacular either, with both Foxx and Butler giving a rather lazed, unconvincing display of a character combination that should make us question the morals of good and bad, but instead just makes us question the point of the whole thing.
Whilst the film does entertain, especially in the first third, Law Abiding Citizen may have you more annoyed than you'd care to be at the cinema.
2/5 Sparks.