Law Abiding Citizen Script Review

Published by Jeff Leins on September 6, 2009

Update: I’ve seen the movie and it differs somewhat from the script. Here’s my review.

Frank Darabont was originally set up to direct Law Abiding Citizen, an intelligent action movie about the justice system.  His experience with prison-centered dramas (Shawshank Redemption, Green Mile) made this an intriguing upcoming release.  Unfortunately Darabont dropped out of the project, but not before turning in an amazing re-write of Kurt Wimmer’s script.  This is a look at masterful storytelling before the movie’s opening on October 16, 2009.

The story opens with a haunting scene as Clyde (who has been cast as Gerard Butler) gasps for help on a 9-1-1 call.  We soon learn his wife and daughter were murdered in a burglary and if the script is followed it should be a gruesome sequences of images.

Jump to a city hall conference room where Clyde is learning one of the murderers is willing to testify against the other deplorable human being in exchange for immunity.  Nick Rice (Jamie Foxx), the prosecuting attorney on the case, is uncertain of his chances in a trial by jury.  Clyde begs him to punish both men for destroying his life by appealing to Nick’s own fatherly instincts and in turn Nick explains the way the justice system works.  Clyde replies, “Ah.  I see my mistake.  I came for justice.  Instead I got a system.”

Sitting idly by is the seasoned District Attorney Jonas Cantrell (Bruce McGill), who suffers from macular degeneration that will render him sightless in a few years.  It’s a subtle nod to the old addage “justice is blind,” but it also indicates Nick as a compassionate person doting over the fumbling counselor.

Nick and Jonas wrestle over the moral dilemma, but ultimately justify to themselves that “one conviction is better than no conviction.”  One man gets the death penalty as another goes free.

Clarence Darby (Christian Stolte) has just manipulated the flawed justice system in his favor, pinning the entirety of the killings on his accomplice and plea bargaining his way to a light sentence.  On the steps of the courthouse, Darby grabs Nick’s hand and shakes it for the cameras.  Clyde watches in horror at the injustice taking place and something snaps in him.  This isn’t over.

It’s a brilliant setup in only the first 15 pages.  The incident, the character introduction, and the underlying premise all executed flawlessly and swiftly.  Clyde is a desperate father begging Nick to do what’s right and Cantrell is the ailing mentor reminding him of the facts.  Nick isn’t uncaring, he’s just caught between both valid sides of a heart-wrenching argument.  The decision sets Clyde on a course for revenge.

Ten years later the lethal injection of the convicted criminal goes horribly wrong.  Think Darabont’s The Green Mile only with boiling chemicals under the skin.  Meanwhile, Darby goes missing and winds up in an elaborate torture scene.  Think Showtime’s “Dexter” with electric sawing equipment.

Naturally Clyde is picked up for questioning, but he’s been preparing for this for a decade.  No longer the passionate widower and grieving father he’s cold, calculated, and calm reminiscent of Kevin Spacey’s smirking John Doe from Se7en.  He addresses the accusations with an almost playfulness, pointing out their evidence is too flimsy for court.  Then Clyde start to negotiate, just as Darby did 10 years ago.  A nicer bed, a choice meal, etc.

It’s the midpoint that makes this script such a treat.  With his amenities upgraded, Clyde demands to go free… or he starts killing everyone.  Furthermore, Nick and his colleagues learn Clyde is a former government operations agent with a special talent for killing people from far away.

It’s this chilling turning point that splinters this from a clever indictment of American justice into a more mainstream action movie with plenty of explosions and mystery to satisfy audiences of several genres.  I was disappointed it took a caged killer twist instead of focusing on whether he avoided conviction for the two revenge killings, but the second half should be a fun ride as the characters and audience investigate how he’s pulling this off from his cell.  The script setup creates enough good will to carry it through the more routine plot points.

Darabont and Wimmer have written a taut thriller on the foundation of our broken justice system.  A person can plead insanity and escape the confines of a maximum security prison.  A violent criminal can become a snitch to other horrific crimes and be back on the streets to start again.  A slip in procedure or a dubious witness means countless appeals or enough “reasonable doubt” to skirt conviction.  Clyde starts in that gray area between right and wrong for enough time to make his point.  Then he’s consumed with revenge and targets anyone else involved with the case.

I can only hope the new director, F. Gary Gray, stays true to the psychological aspects that sets this script apart.

The trailer: