Posted: 01/23/2010 |
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 Law Abiding Citizen on BluRayby Del Harvey | |
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Starring Gerard Butler and Jamie Foxx, Law Abiding Citizen is the tale of a man wronged and pushed to the limit. The moral of the tale seems to be not what unspeakable things are done to you, but what you do with the leftover damage and how you react to it. Essentially, we are presented with a genius-turned-sociopath who goes on a rampage, killing major officials in Philadelphia and holding an entire city hostage. His character is driven to destruction, a law-abiding citizen who is angry with a justice system that allowed one of the killers of his wife and daughter to get off with a light sentence. I enjoyed this movie tremendously. Up to a point, because there are twists and turns, plenty of dark violence and tension, but there is also manifest destiny. I found the villain, Butler, a compassionate character and I bought into his need for revenge after it seemed as though everyone was out to get him. In fact, the story seems to parallel modern-day politics and corporate greed. Jamie Foxx, as the superstar prosecutor, seems to walk away from every dirty deed and legal trick unscathed. In this way, he is as much the villain as Butler, if not more so. And the fact that a character such as this has been set upon Butler to get “the truth” from him just makes me loath him all the more and root for the bad guy even more. The little guy - the normal, average, everyday guy - gets the shaft… and when he sets out to seek vengeance, he becomes the one we root for. It’s natural. And it’s wonderful to watch as he does it. There is a strong political statement under the skin of this one, and it makes a very strong point. The BluRay includes the following special features: Available on BluRay and DVD February 16, 2010. Del Harvey is the founder of Film Monthly, a film teacher, a writer and a film critic in Chicago. Got a problem? E-mail us at filmmonthly@gmail.com |