'Law Abiding Citizen'

'Law Abiding Citizen' (R) **1/2

Writer: Kurt Wimmer
Director: F. Gary Gray
Starring: Gerard Butler, Jamie Foxx, Bruce McGill, Colm Meaney, Regina Hall, Leslie Bibb, Gregory Itzin

"Law Abiding Citizen" is like a more competent and better version of the crappy "Saw" movies. It has more A list actors and that might make the difference here from a cheap exploitation flick. It pretty much has the same gimmick as "Saw" but somehow I drank the Kool Aid on this one. Gerard Butler is very good at playing a brilliant man who has lost his wife and kids and becomes a vigilante. Jamie Foxx is also good as the prosecuting attorney who Butler thinks didn't try harder to properly convict one of the killers. This movie is pretty much a cat and mouse affair matching wits between the two principles. There are gruesome killings in unique ways like the past few torture porn horror movies that came out lately but somehow I got into it. I was entertained and was sucked in mostly because the acting is so good and the movie is very well directed. This is a glossy B movie dressed up with huge stars and a great supporting cast that includes Bruce McGill (Animal House) and Colm Meaney (The Commitments"). I had seen this type of movie recently and felt a lot was implausible but somehow I knew I had seen a well made movie. It will definitely keep you interested. This is good for a rainy day rental on DVD.