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Law Abiding CitizenMovie Reviews

Poster art for "Law Abiding Citizen."
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Metascore®34 out of 100 | Generally unfavorable reviews

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 75
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    One of those movies you like more at the time than in retrospect. Read full review

  • 60
    Variety | Justin Chang

    True torture-porn aficionados will be disappointed, as editor Tariq Anwar cuts away right before blade meets flesh -- a move that feels a tad, well, gutless under the circumstances. But elsewhere, "Citizen" proves startlingly graphic, even by R-rated standards. Read full review

  • 50
    ReelViews | James Berardinelli

    The biggest problem with Law Abiding Citizen, however, is that the plot is just plain dumb. Read full review

  • 50
    USA Today | Claudia Puig

    Deep within Law Abiding Citizen lurks a thought-provoking movie. But most of what we see on the screen is implausible, superficial and only marginally involving. Read full review

  • 42
    Entertainment Weekly | Owen Gleiberman

    Clyde is meant to be nuts, but too often it's Law Abiding Citizen that checks rationality at the door. Read full review

  • 40
    Los Angeles Times | Glenn Whipp

    The film's greatest sin isn't its cynical moral posturing but its complete failure to engage audiences on even a visceral level. Read full review

  • 30
    Time | Richard Corliss

    Butler has the showier part, but his impersonation of the tragic hero is undercut by his weird resemblance to Soupy Sales. You start hoping that Shelton will kill somebody with a custard (or puffer-fish) pie to the face. Read full review

  • 30
    Village Voice | Robert Wilonsky

    If the filmmakers meant a word of it, they'd quit making films and do something more useful. "Saw" with a conscience is not what the world needs. Read full review

  • 30
    The New York Times | A.O. Scott

    Wears its preposterousness with a certain pride. It’s about the cat-and-mouse game between two very smart guys, and it’s perfectly happy to be as dumb as it wants. Read full review

  • 25
    The Onion (A.V. Club) | Scott Tobias

    A flagrantly ridiculous thriller that tries to retrofit "Saw" to function as a mainstream, semi-respectable vigilante picture Read full review