Law Abiding Citizen

It plays better than it reviews — the watch lands harder than the write-ups suggest.

• “One of those movies you like more at the time than in retrospect.”

  Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times · 75

• “The script does create sufficient tension and intrigue to hook viewers along with a photogenic, hardworking cast.”

  Kirk Honeycutt, The Hollywood Reporter · 70

• “That the film, directed in swift strokes by F. Gary Gray from a screenplay credited to Kurt Wimmer, doesn't really work - unrelentingly grim, unintentionally funny - is almost beside the point. It's a wild concept.”

  Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer · 63

• “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.”

  Justin Chang, Variety · 60

• “The payback in Law Abiding Citizen doesn't have a cathartic kick, because the revenge is so extreme it's horrifying.”

  Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald · 50