Law Abiding Citizen is a 2009 American vigilante action thriller film[3][4][5] directed by F. Gary Gray, written by Kurt Wimmer, and starring Jamie Foxx and Gerard Butler (who also co-produced).

During a home invasion, Clarence Darby murders the wife and daughter of engineer Clyde Shelton, who is forced to watch.

Unwilling to risk lowering his high conviction rate, he makes a deal with Darby; he testifies against his accomplice Rupert Ames (who only intended to steal from Clyde) so he is convicted and sentenced to death, while Darby pleads guilty to third-degree murder and receives a lighter sentence.

The police find the chemicals had been tampered with and evidence left behind implicates Darby; an anonymous caller warns him law enforcement is on their way to arrest him.

Following the caller's instructions, Darby hijacks a police car, forcing a lone officer to drive to a deserted warehouse.

In court, Clyde represents himself and successfully argues he should be granted bail, but instead criticizes the judge for accepting the legal precedent he cited, believing the judge is too easily convinced and eager to release potential criminals; Clyde is then denied bail and also jailed for contempt of court.

After giving Nick his confession, Clyde demands an elaborate steak lunch from Del Frisco's and his iPod be delivered to his cell by a specific time, in exchange for the location of Darby's now-missing lawyer.

Nick realizes that Clyde intentionally sought solitary confinement, allowing him to leave the prison undetected and kill while misleading the police.

The epilogue shows Nick and his wife watching their daughter perform on cello a classical music piece, an after-school staged event that he previously had failed to find time to attend.

Gerard Butler was initially signed on to play the prosecuting attorney, while Jamie Foxx was the criminal mastermind operating from inside prison,[6] a reversal of their roles in the final version.

Frank Darabont was expected to direct the film, but he left the production due to creative differences with the producers.

[8] Filming locations included Philadelphia's City Hall, Laurel Hill Cemetery[9] and the now closed Holmesburg Prison.

The tune at the end for closing credits is "Sin's A Good Man's Brother" by Grand Funk Railroad.

The site's critical consensus states: "Unnecessarily violent and unflinchingly absurd, Law Abiding Citizen is plagued by subpar acting and a story that defies reason.

Kurt Wimmer was hired to return to his role as screenwriter, while Gerard Butler will serve as producer alongside Alan Siegel, Lucas Foster, Rob Paris, and Mike Witherill.

While the plot has not been revealed, Paris and Witherill jointly stated that the creatives involved, see the movie as a "franchise opportunity [y]."