Couldve been a great movie if... - Law Abiding Citizen (2009) Discussion

[–] iroquoisjoe 11 years ago

It would have been a perfect ending if Nick had just shot Clyde...and taken whatever consequences came with that. Perfect.

On November 6, 2012...God blessed America

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[–] actionmanrandell 10 years ago

in reality what nick did in the end would have gotten him life in prison(premeditated murder) plus property damage to the prison and likely the deaths that would have occurred from the explosion killing anyone in solitary confinement

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[–] keep-flying 10 years ago

Solitary confinement was probably cleared out, and Nick didn't murder Clyde, he just redirected Clyde's attack back at him. Clyde still had all the control over his own fate. All he had to do was not mass-murder other people.

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[–] HOKfilms 9 years ago

He did Murder Clyde, because they planted an explosive in his cell and when Clyde pulled the switch, they locked him in. Sure, Clyde pulled the switch, but hmmmm, planting a bomb in somebody's cell and then locking the doors when its been turned on. Sounds like MURDER to me.

I <3 Emily Blunt

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[–] keep-flying 9 years ago

I don't exactly remember the sequence of the actions, but if that's the way it went then you're sort of right. Still, the guy just hit a switch he thought would murder a mass of people. He hadn't even gotten to know them well enough to make that kind of judgment. Unfairness got treated with unfairness. Treat others like you'd want to be treated yourself. What he did to the criminals who took his family were reactions of the same caliber. What he did to the other people were actions. He should've aspired to corrected the system, not become the problem.

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[–] RynoII 9 years ago

Nick was not able to stop the bomb though. So he just took it away from where the innocent people were going to be blown up, to blow the bomber up instead. I don't think Nick would be charged because there was no way he could have stopped the bomb. He just moved to a safer place.

Although they could have called the bomb squad, but I suppose Nick could have argued that that would have taken too much time?

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[–] DataGrab 9 years ago

On what some of you might probably agree on is that Clyde was the victim in the first place. He's the epitome of revenge. And Nick? Well, he didn't even care. He didn't even try to get prosecution for both Darby and Ames. He could've walked out off that court with his head held high. Clyde could've lived with that and the whole fu(king diseased corrupt temple wouldn't have been brought down on his head.

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[–] raymongracie 10 years ago

Now that would have been an decent ending too along with many other suggestions I've read. The one they went with seems like the most generic and boring one. Nick shooting Clyde then going to jail...almost reminds me of the ending of "Seven."

Other endings where Clyde lives...it's not about condoning Clyde's actions, just about making a movie that is more realistic in fitting with his past work experience and the intelligent character that they are presenting him to be. It's just hard to believe that an "ex-think tank" for the CIA would get outsmarted so easily and without a plan B, plan C, plan D etc.

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[–] pilsjov 11 years ago

>Agree, Clyde should have lived.
This ending is very stupid

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[–] iroquoisjoe 11 years ago

After killing a bunch of innocent people Clyde should have lived? B.S. Hopefully when a terrorist is about to kill you...you won't feel that way. ...but since it is just a movie it is easy to say

On November 6, 2012...God blessed America

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[–] someoneyoumightknow 10 years ago

I hate people like you. If you are not in agreement with government you are a terrorist, grow up idiot

*beep* Thracians - Crixus
*beep* Gauls - Agron

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[–] keep-flying 10 years ago

Clyde spread terror, so by definition he became a terrorist.

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[–] DayWithoutGames 10 years ago

FYI , no adult is innocent , everybody is a sinner . And every garbages that Mr Gerald Butler killed were deserved to die . Too bad that he didnt get jamie fuxx too .

A greater ending is that Mr Gerald Butler lives and becomes some kind of Punisher , lol .

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[–] keep-flying 10 years ago

There are different degrees of sin, buddy. Stealing candy from a baby is a sin, but not as bad as starting nuclear war.

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[–] poirot-9 10 years ago

According to the Christian Bible, not only are all sins equal in the eyes of God (James 2:10, Romans 3:23), but also you are born a sinner (Psalm 51:5, Romans 5:12, Romans 3:23).

If that's the kind of sin we are talking about, anyway.

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[–] keep-flying 9 years ago

That's crazytalk, buddy. It worries me that you can't see the stupidity in what you've quoted. Stupidity truly scares me. What sort of sin could I have committed before or when I was born? What, was it a sin to moon the nurse? Should I have knitted my own underwear before I came out?

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[–] poirot-9 9 years ago

Read the passages I quoted. All people are born sinners "by default" in God's eyes.

Of course that's the Christian worldview, which you might or might not agree with.

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[–] keep-flying 9 years ago

I absolutely do not agree that anyone's born a sinner. It should be noted that you conveniently ignored my question: What sort of sin could I have committed before or when I was born? I was raised in a Christian family so I've got a pretty good sense of what it's all about and even though the religion supports a few worthwhile things, that doesn't make the whole of the religion good or true, or God even real. I probably just as strongly believe that you're a fool for believing in God as you do actually believing in this God, so now one of us is wrong. If mankind continues to evolve they'll become smarter and wiser like they've always done, and more and more people will realize your religion as a whole doesn't make any sense. You could be happier and live a better life if you get with what makes sense, and that doesn't necessarily need to be any kind of religion.

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[–] poirot-9 9 years ago

My understanding of it is that sin is intrisic to human nature, and inherited from the original sin (Romans 5:12).

Of course this is challenged or outright contradicted by other passages in the Bible, which isn't that unusual.

FYI, I am not affiliated with any religion at all, but I understand Christianity the most because of geography.

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[–] keep-flying 9 years ago

And you ignored the question again: What sort of sin could I have committed before or when I was born?

Everyone defines "sin" differently. Some people believe getting a parking ticket is a sin, others believe all Black people deserve to die. When you say sin, you're probably overreacting, because I can't see how anyone could be born a sinner. It just doesn't make sense.

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[–] P-K-One 11 years ago

I think the movie could have been great if he had not worked towards mass murder but rather towards exposing the justice system for what it is.

Clyde perceived it as corrupt and selfserving. He thought that the people working in it would rather see their names in the press and win a small success than to risk loosing in a trial.

I would have liked it if Clyde had killed the two guys who murdered his family and then just turned himself in after sending a little letter to the press: "I am turning myself in. I killed two people. And I will arrange for the deaths of judges and district attorneys until the charges for my double murder are dropped."
The DA brings him up on charges...and dies. A week goes by and a judge dies...
Nick is in the midst of it. He realizes all of this is his fault because he would not pursue justice in the first place. In that situation his colleagues and judges come up to him and urge him to drop the charges. He realizes that Clyde's perception of the judicial community is correct, that they are cowards who won't stand for what is right and will let murderers go because they are scared.
In this situation Nick starts to be torn. On the one hand, he starts to agree more and more with Clyde because he realizes that Clyde did the only thing that could get him justice and that he is right about the system being broken. On the other hand letting Clyde go would make the system even more broken.
That creates and interesting inversion of the situation. In the beginning Nick thinks that Clyde is the bad guy and the system is right...and that's why he can't let him go. Now he realizes that Clyde is the good guy and the system is wrong and broken but letting him go would smash it beyond repair...and that's why he can't let him go.
Nick has to press on, to find justice and convict Clyde who is basically a Martyr at this point. At the same time Nick realizes something else: He has to cleanse the system using Clyde. He starts to drop names, names of people who are more corrupt than the others, the ones who urged him to drop the case because they were scared and without exception Clyde kills those people.
And at the end of the movie Clyde gets convicted and shipped of to prison. He smiles. He has been convicted but the justice system is working again. Still...he looks at Nick and says: "You know there is one left, right?"
Clyde gets taken away and Nick just walks out into the open, sits down on the steps of the court building and waits. He was the first to become guilty in Clyde's eyes, he knows that there is no way that he is going to survive. Just as Clyde smiled while he was taken away to prison, Nick smiles as he is sitting on the steps. He knows his fate is sealed but at least the system works again...End credits.

Yeah, I know, a lot of people hate open ends but I like them so sue me.

That's what I would have done with the movie.

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[–] 11 years ago

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[–] tchevyz71 10 years ago

I enjoyed the movie, the ending not so much. 7/10

I think it would have been real interesting if he broke into prison to kill those two guys personally, then slowly take out the lawyers etc.

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[–] eleutherosxesitis 9 years ago

...was not made in usa...just another piece of same *beep* from hollywood

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[–] yusef-ghanima 9 years ago

criticizing the masonist laws is not the regular crap.

i mostly will not be able to answer your reply, since marissa mayer hacked my email, no notification

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