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We take a look at the controversial ending of 2009’s Law Abiding Citizen, and try to make sense of it all.
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Introduction
In the 2009 thriller Law Abiding Citizen, Clyde Shelton (Gerard Butler) is an upstanding family man whose wife and daughter are brutally murdered during a home invasion. Ten years later, he’s still seeking justice for their deaths – and he’s willing to kill to get it.
The film’s ending has been the subject of much debate, with some viewers arguing that it’s ambiguous and open to interpretation, while others believe that it’s clear-cut and there’s no room for doubt.
So, what really happened at the end of Law Abiding Citizen? Let’s take a closer look at the evidence and try to piece together what happened.
What is the movie about?
Law Abiding Citizen is a 2009 American thriller film directed by F.Gary Gray and written by Kurt Wimmer. The film stars Gerard Butler and Jamie Foxx.
The movie centers on Clyde Shelton (Gerard Butler), a man whose wife and daughter are brutally murdered during a home invasion. 10 years later, the killers are caught and about to go to trial. When one of them is set free on a technicality, Clyde takes justice into his own hands.
Clyde then begins a campaign of terror against Nick Rice (Jamie Foxx), the prosecutor who let the killer go free. As the bodies begin to pile up, Nick must stop Clyde before he goes too far.
What happened in the movie?
The movie opens with a family being targeted by a home invasion. The husband and wife are killed, but their daughter is left alive. The daughter grows up to be a law-abiding citizen, but she is haunted by the memories of that night.
Years later, the daughter is working as a district attorney. She is prosecuting a case against a man who has been accused of killing several people. The man escapes from prison and comes after the district attorney, intending to kill her.
However, the law-abiding citizen has been planning for this day. She has been gathering evidence and tracking the killer’s every move. When he finally comes for her, she is ready. She traps him in her house and kills him.
What was the ending of the movie?
The movie ends with Clyde Shelton breaking into the house of Nick Rice, the Assistant District Attorney who prosecuted him for the murders of his wife and daughter. He had kidnapped ADA Rice’s pregnant wife and daughter, undressed them, tied them up with barbed wire in their bathtub, and then watched from the closet as they were brutally murdered. Clyde then forced ADA to eat his wife’s eye and drink his daughter’s blood before he killed them.
What did the critics think of the movie?
Critics were largely divided on Law Abiding Citizen, with some praising the film’s twists and turns, and others finding the plot to be convoluted and implausible. Overall, the film holds a 50% freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 202 reviews, with an average rating of 5.8/10. The site’s consensus states: “Law Abiding Citizen is solidly crafted but largely predictable – which is a shame, given its behind-the-scenes pedigree.”
What did the audience think of the movie?
The audience for Law Abiding Citizen was relatively split in their opinion of the film. Some people thought it was a thrilling ride from beginning to end, while others found it predictable and uninteresting.
What are some of the movie’s flaws?
Cameron Poe is an ex-con who is trying to put his life back together. He has a wife, a child, and a job. He is also trying to stay away from trouble. But one day, he gets into a fight with some men who are trying to rape his wife. Poe kills the men in self-defense.
Poe is sent back to prison, and while he is there, he finds out that one of the men he killed was the brother of a powerful man named John Quincy Wydell. Wydell is determined to get revenge on Poe. He gets Poe released from prison, and then he sets him up so that it looks like Poe has killed some innocent people.
Wydell then tries to kill Poe, but Poe manages to escape. He goes on a rampage, killing everyone who was involved in setting him up. In the end, he kills Wydell and then turns himself in to the authorities.
What are some of the movie’s strong points?
There are a few strong points to Law Abiding Citizen. The acting is top-notch, with Gerard Butler playing the perfect foil to Jamie Foxx’s earnest hero. The plot is twisty and unpredictable, keeping viewers guessing until the very end. And the film’s social commentary on the criminal justice system is timely and relevant.
Is the movie worth watching?
Law Abiding Citizen is a controversial 2009 film that has been both praised and criticised for its graphic and disturbing content. The movie follows the story of Clyde Shelton (Gerard Butler), a man who takes the law into his own hands after the justice system fails to convict the men who killed his family.
While some viewers find the film’s violence ineffective, others believe that it is a powerful commentary on the failings of the justice system. The ending of the film is particularly controversial, with some viewers feeling that it is unsatisfactory or even unnecessary.
If you are considering watching Law Abiding Citizen, be aware that it is a highly intense and graphic film. However, it is also a thought-provoking thriller with an intriguing plot.
Conclusion
Clyde Shelton (Gerard Butler) is an upstanding family man whose wife and daughter are brutally murdered during a home invasion. When the killers are caught, one dies in a shootout, while the other, Darnell Lewis (Jamie Foxx), is apprehended and put on trial. After Lewis is convicted, Shelton publically promises revenge against those responsible for his family’s deaths.
