The movie titled “Law Abiding Citizen” is directed by Gary Gray and revolves around the position of two people, Nick Rice (Jamie Foxx) and Clyde Shelton (Gerard Butler). The two actors are renowned, and any movie that brings them together will definitely intrigue the audience. In the opening scenes of the movie, Clyde Shelton is a dedicated family man with a wife and daughter. The events of one night change his life and perception about the criminal justice forever. Clarence Darby (Christian Stolte) and his accomplices raid his house and in the ensuing fracas kill Clyde’s wife and daughter. The case is assigned to Nick Rice, a successful prosecutor. Clyde is disappointed when he learns that Nick has cut a deal with Darby. Darby is set to testify against his crime partner Rupert Ames (Joshua Stewart) in exchange for a lesser sentence. Nick seeks a death sentence for Ames.
Clyde is unsatisfied about the decision; he feels that Darby should have been given a much hefty penalty for causing him physical and emotional pain. Clyde had seen the attackers; however, when he brings out the issue with the prosecutor, Nick tells him that jury makes its decision based on what a person can prove or substantiate with concrete evidence rather than what one knows (Gray, 2009). It is a huge blow to Clyde; he feels that he has been denied justice by the system. Clyde takes another phase of his life when he decides to commit all his resources to deliver justice. In series of well-coordinated and orchestrated plan, Clyde strategizes to perfection. When he is convinced the plan is ripe to perfection, he decides to lure Darby, where he tortures and kills him. Clyde sends the recorded video of the whole horror incidence to Nick. Unfortunately, Nick’s daughter Denise Rice (Emerald Angel Young) watches the video which sends her into a state of emotional discomfort.
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Meanwhile, investigations into the death of Darby lead to an arrest of Clyde. In court, the prosecutor wants the judge to deny Clyde bail. However, Clyde who is apparently representing himself pleads for bail. Clyde, as it turns out later that he is an engineer, know the law better than his contemporaries, something which shocks Judge Laura Burch (Annie Corley) and the entire prosecutorial team (Gray, 2009). The judge convinced of Clyde’s argument decides to grant bail to the defendant. It is this moment that an outburst of words occurs between Clyde and the judge occurs. Clyde faults the judge for granting him bail yet he committed the alleged crimes. Clyde proceeds to call the judge with some derogative names in a moment of rage and intense anger. After the exchange, the bail is denied, and Clyde is taken into jail awaiting trial.
Clyde decides to play games with the prosecutor while making lots of demands that have to be met. On the other hand, all the people who handled the case on the murder of Clyde’s wife and daughter begin to die cruel deaths. Nick is convinced that Clyde is involved. However, he fails to understand how a person incarcerated in solitary confinement can hurt people on the outside. Nick begins to look for Clyde’s associates. However, he manages to meet Clyde’s former work colleague who informs him of the extraordinary ability of the person he is dealing with (Gray, 2009). Clyde makes good of threats when Judge Burch, District Attorney Jonas Cantrell and assistant attorney Sarah Lowell are all bombed. With the series of attacks frightening the public, the mayor calls for an emergency meeting to discuss the situation. Clyde plans to attack the meeting. Unfortunately, the plan is unearthed when Nick discovers the gameplay of Clyde. Nick takes the game right to the doorstep of Clyde. When Clyde detonates the bomb meant to finish the mayor and her team, he is surprised to realize that the bomb is in his cell. Nick runs away after locking out Clyde, Clyde is consumed in a fire while passionately holding on to the bracelet his daughter made him. The movie ends when Nicks’ daughter is showcasing a stellar cello performance to the audience. It is a win for Nick.
The movie highlights the fundamental challenges that are facing the criminal justice system. First, the technicality of the cases is attributed to the legal constraints that prosecutors and the defense team face. The director of the movie seeks to underscore the setbacks in the criminal justice system. Convicts are always convicted based on the evidential weight of the prosecutors. However, many the agility and vibrancy of the defense attorney’s coupled with the weak prosecutorial team has led to convicts circumventing the justice system and walking scot-free (Thomas & McGourlay, 2017). Clyde saw the attackers. However, his claim is dismissed because he passed out. The loopholes that exist in the system regarding the admissibility of evidence require fixing. Otherwise, it is evident that criminals will continue to roam in society to cause more havoc, pain, and discomfort. On the other side, individuals who feel that the system has let them down will take the law into their own hands. The resultant effect is that the rate of crime is soaring higher as people use crime to solve another crime and call it vengeance. The strengths of this movie are that it highlights the challenges in a more entertaining and informative manner. Conversely, the weakness of the film is that it uses strong adult language and scenes that are unethical in the criminal justice system. Conclusively, the film achieves its purpose of challenging the society on criminal justice reforms.
References
Gray, F. G. (Director). (2009). Law Abiding Citizen [Motion picture]. US: Overture Films.
Thomas, M., & McGourlay, C. (2017). 7. The Criminal Justice System. Law Trove . doi:10.1093/he/9780199654239.003.0007
