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Law Abiding Citizen

Law Abiding Citizen

Drama · Crime · Thriller · 2009

A frustrated man decides to take justice into his own hands after a plea bargain sets one of his family's killers free. He targets not only the killer but also the district attorney and others involved in the deal.

Movie details

Law Abiding Citizen

“Justice at any cost.”

2009 Drama · Crime · Thriller 1h 49m

Critical arithmetic

The consensus, allegedly.

IMDb

7.4 / 10

343.3K votes

Rotten Tomatoes

26 %

Tomatometer

Metacritic

34 / 100

Metascore

TMDB

7.4 / 10

Community rating

External scores via OMDb · CC BY-NC 4.0. Values normalized for display; availability varies by title.

A frustrated man decides to take justice into his own hands after a plea bargain sets one of his family's killers free. He targets not only the killer but also the district attorney and others involved in the deal.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Law Abiding Citizen?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

F. Gary Gray

Written by

Kurt Wimmer

Jamie Foxx

Jamie Foxx

Nick Rice

Gerard Butler

Gerard Butler

Clyde Alexander Shelton

Colm Meaney

Colm Meaney

Detective Dunnigan

Bruce McGill

Bruce McGill

Jonas Cantrell

Leslie Bibb

Leslie Bibb

Sarah Lowell

Michael Irby

Michael Irby

Detective Garza

Gregory Itzin

Gregory Itzin

Warden Iger

Court is in session

Put Law Abiding Citizen on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Technique in search of a pulse.”

Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.