Law Abiding Citizen

English (A) Cast: Jamie Foxx, Gerard Butler, Colm Meaney Director: F Gary Gray

In India it’s the ‘aam admi’ and in the United States it’s the citizen. The connection: both want justice to prevail. An engineer named Clyde Shelton (Gerard Butler) has faith that the judicial system will bring to book the killers of his wife and daughter. But, when the ambitious prosecutor Nick Rice (Jamie Foxx) cuts a deal with one of the criminals, Clyde is forced to teach the whole system a lesson.

Ten years after the trial, Clyde strikes back by tempering with the lethal injection administered to one of the criminals on death row. And after brutally killing the real culprit he turns himself in. The story takes a new turn when Clyde enters prison. Will the system listen to his theory of justice? To know the answer you have to see this film as Clyde gives a number of options to Nick to turn over a new leaf.

For some the film would be ludicrous thriller but it has some real shocks and surprising turns. The social commentary drama questions the viewers’ sense of justice without much preaching. Foxx is decent as a mentally tortured victim of his own doings; Butler is also convincing as a regretful social activist.

“Law Abiding Citizen” runs smooth with its simple nonstop action sequences and intense acting.

>>More reviews by me -->>Deccan Herald

Couples Retreat

English (A) Cast: Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau, Jason Bateman, Kristen Bell

Director: Peter Billingsley

In this romcom flick we have Dave (Vince Vaughn), a seemingly happy man with wife Ronnie (Malin Akerman) who is asked by good friend Jason (Jason Bateman) and Cynthia (Kristen Bell) to save their broken relationship by going together on a holiday to a resort called ‘Couples Retreat’.

Jason and Chynthia also invite equally dissatisfied couple Joey (Jon Favreau) and his unhappy wife Lucy (Kristin Davis) and also newly divorced Shane (Faizon Love) and lively girlfriend Trudy (Kali Hawk). However, the couples are in for a surprise when they are told that ‘Marital Advice’ was one of the item on the menu besides therapy sessions, yoga, and fasting. Soon they begin to wonder: Have they come to the right place to know what is wrong about their relationships?

This film is about ‘a friend in need is a friend indeed’ and family affairs which can be both fun and tedious. Fun, for its pleasant on-screen real buddies poking clean jibes at one another; and tedious for the lack of enthusiasm in the editing room. As a team the eight actors shared a comedic rapport. Among the cast, hunky Carlos Ponce is a scene-stealer as Salvadore, the yoga instructor.

Even though there are times when the editing falls, the script deserves praises for bringing some fresh ideas. Co-written by Vaughn and Favreau, “Couples Retreat” remains their archaic trademark push-and-tell story style. The good news, however, is that this vacation comedy has some substance besides Oscar winner A R Rahman’s music.

>>By Robert L Sungte >>Read more film reviews, news, etc on Deccan Herald