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Gerard Butler had a busy summer. He kicked off the season co-starring opposite Katherine Heigl in the terrible romantic comedy “The Ugly Truth,” and then made a terrible action flick called “Gamer” — enjoyable only because he hits people. The man won’t give up on 2009 and is now starring opposite Jamie Foxx in “Law Abiding Citizen.”
Directed by F. Gary Gray (“Friday,” “The Italian Job”), the setup and the characters seem familiar. Foxx plays the same up-and-coming lawyer with no time for his family that has been played onscreen at least a dozen other times in as many years — earlier this very summer by Eddie Murphy. Butler plays the man whose wife and child are murdered and must seek his own vengeance when the culprits escape justice. It’s all very cut and dry until Butler starts taking out everyone else as well. It becomes apparent quickly that he’s up to more than just revenge. Unfortunately, it’s all spelled out and spoon-fed to the audience so easily that there’s nothing to be thrilled about. If you’ve seen the trailer — and you’ve seen the trailer — then the lone possible twist has been ruined for you.
In the film, the twist is revealed by a super secret agent who talks to Foxx and his district attorney, played by Bruce McGill, because the script tells him he should and for no deeper reasoning than that. No surprise, since the home invasion which sets the story in motion seems to actually have no motivation of its own.
Last year, Viola Davis earned an Oscar nomination for a single scene in Doubt, but in this film she is utterly wasted as a mayor with nothing interesting to say or do.
This is just the latest in a long line of thrillers that are too obvious and too concerned with matching the mold to ever be considered a good film. The moral ambiguity of Butler’s actions is the only thing worthwhile. Although it’s all resolved clearly, the man is portrayed in about as sympathetic a light as you can so as to add even just a shade of question about whether or not what he’s doing is right or wrong. It creates an engrossing dynamic between Butler and Foxx, but ends before it ever has true life breathed into it.
In the end, the film is too standard with no surprises and only decent acting. Gray paced the film well, and it’ll hold your attention and entertain you for 110 minutes, but you’ll have to ignore some cringe-worthy dialogue here and there. The film is irritating because it dangles some deep and interesting ideas in front of the audience, but never explores them and never trusts the audience to think for themselves. Audiences are never once challenged by “Law Abiding Citizen,” and so it feels like the film-watching equivalent of paint by numbers. When we’re done, there is a picture, but it isn’t satisfying.
Grade: C+
Bangor Daily News