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Dir. F. Gary Gray
Rating: 5.8 | 0 User Reviews | Send to Friend
Clyde Shelton (Gerard Butler) is just a simple, honest man who also happens to be a genius inventor, and, oh yeah, a contract killer who happens to have a lot of freaking time on his hands -- ten years worth, in fact -- to exact revenge on pretty much every person in the flawed justice system involved with the trial of the murder of his wife and daughter. When one of the killers is given a lighter sentence in a deal arranged by rising star Assistant District Attorney Nick Rice (Jamie Foxx), who proudly touts his 96% conviction rate, Shelton’s ire is significantly raised. What ensues is a tense face-off between the two men, battles of intellect and power. The only problem is, Shelton is only one who appears to be flexing his brain muscles. Throughout the majority of the film, Rice and law enforcement do little but react to Shelton’s every gambit. It’s also hard to feel much sympathy for Rice, who is conniving and cold as well as arrogant. The result is a one-sided game where your sympathies remain locked with the antagonist. Philadelphia does provide a nicely eerie backdrop for the dark subject matter and there are some breathtakingly gorgeous shots of the city, but you still can't help but root against it, and the painfully remiss justice system it houses.
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