Gerard Butler’s 26%-rated thriller trending on Netflix includes the actor’s most disturbing movie scene

Summary

• Gerard Butler’s role in Law Abiding Citizen showcases his versatility as an actor, which goes beyond typical action hero roles.
• The torture scene in the warehouse in the film is particularly disturbing, even if it is set in the context of a very violent film.
• The film’s approach to violence through implication rather than explicit representation subverts audience expectations and increases psychological impact.

Warning: Contains descriptions of graphic violence.

Law abiding citizen found a new audience on Netflix after its original 2009 release, but while the 26% Rotten Tomatoes-rated thriller failed to impress critics, it is notable for containing perhaps the most disturbing scene of Gerard Butler’s entire career. While he is best known as a heroic action star, Gerard Butler has a surprisingly diverse filmography. From horror films like Dracula 2000 to musicals like The Phantom of the Operahas never been afraid to push the boundaries. However, even within the context of such a diverse curriculum, Law abiding citizen stands out.

The film is noteworthy for several reasons. Not only does Butler play a morally complex antagonist, an unusual character for the Scottish actor, but it also has a much darker tone than many of his typical projects. Butler plays Clyde Shelton, a former CIA agent who embarks on a brutal revenge mission after the deaths of his wife and daughter. Ultimately, Shelton’s plan sees him take on all aspects of the justice system in an increasingly elaborate attempt at revenge. However, the film’s most horrific moment involves the man who killed Shelton’s family in the first place.

The warehouse scene in Law Abiding Citizen is absolutely horrifying

Shelton’s form of justice is sadistically violent.

Even by the standards of a very violent film, the torture scene in the warehouse in Law abiding citizen is particularly shocking. As is typical of Clyde Shelton’s methods, the structure of the scene is rather convoluted. After framing Darby, the man who murdered and assaulted his wife and daughter, for facilitating the painful death of his ex-partner, Shelton distracts him from pursuing police officers. After Shelton reveals himself, Darby attempts to shoot him, only because the gun injects a powerful neurotoxin into his bloodstream that renders him immobile but keeps all his senses intactShelton then takes him to a warehouse.

This is where the real horror of the scene begins. As Darby is completely paralyzed, Shelton explains in great detail everything that is about to happen to him, from his plan to use a scalpel to remove his eyelids, to the adrenaline injection to ensure he stays awake the entire time. He then reveals a full-length mirror, suspended above the pseudo-surgical table, so that Darby can see everything that is about to happen to him. The scene then ends with Shelton starting the torturecutting off one of Darby’s legs with an angle grinder while recording the procedure.

Law Abiding Citizen is one of Gerard Butler’s most violent films

The film is consistently unflinching in its exploration of violence.

Even without the warehouse scene, Law abiding citizen It would be considered one of Gerard Butler’s most violent films. The story is an exploration of vigilante justice and examines the horrific limits to which people can be pushed after losing faith in a flawed and corrupt system. Not only does the film open with a painfully violent home invasion that sets the story in motion, but Shelton consistently executes violent retaliation against those he feels have wronged him and his family.

Unlike Butler’s other violent films, such as the adaptation of the graphic novel
300
,
Law abiding citizen
The darkly nihilistic tone gives its content an eerie tone.

Some of the film’s most notable scenes include Shelton’s murder of a fellow inmate using a T-bone steak, as well as a series of graphic explosions, which highlight Shelton’s expertise as an engineer. Unlike Butler’s other violent films, such as the graphic novel adaptation 300, Law abiding citizenThe darkly nihilistic tone of it gives its content a disturbing tone. Consequently, It is perhaps not surprising that the film cut several scenes to avoid an NC-17 rating. – many of which have been restored in the director’s cut (via Film censorship).

It has been argued, both by contemporary critics and by later viewers, that Law abiding citizenThe violence in is needlessly gratuitous. One possible justification for the graphic content is that it reinforces the film’s message about drastic circumstances that push people into incredibly dark places. However, while the film’s gore is certainly a controversial topic of discussion, it is surprisingly irrelevant to the impact of the warehouse scene.

The warehouse scene subverts audience expectations

The implication of violence is much more powerful

Before the warehouse scene begins, Law abiding citizen has already featured some disturbingly violent content. The home invasion scene that kicks off the story is certainly a case in point, as is the botched execution of Rupert Ames, the man who is sentenced to death following Darby’s false testimony. From the very beginning, it’s clear that Law abiding citizen he’s not afraid to throw punchesThis makes it all the more distressing that so little of Darby’s torture is actually shown.

Instead of indulging in a graphic torture scene for maximum impact, Law abiding citizen Instead it relies on the power of implicit violence. Shelton details everything that will happen to Darby in such detail that the audience is fully aware of what is involved. The tension builds as he explains all the preparations he has made, including the placement of the mirror and the presence of a video camera on hand to record the entire scene. However, aside from a brief shot of Shelton cutting off Darby’s leg, the film doesn’t dwell much on the details of the torture.

Given how brutal
Law abiding citizen
is already present on the scene, the fact that much of the violence is absent represents a bold and effective subversion of the audience’s expectations.

Without showing on screen all the horror of what happens in the warehouse, Law abiding citizen allows the viewers’ imagination to take over. While violence and gore can be disturbing, it is arguably more psychologically effective to use the power of suggestion. This is a trick often used in horror films, which explains why the warehouse scene remains so powerful years after its release. Considering how brutal Law abiding citizen is already present on the scene, the fact that much of the violence is absent represents a bold and effective subversion of the audience’s expectations.

A law-abiding citizen failed to impress critics despite violence

There were many problems with the film

Law abiding citizen asks bold questions about when or if violence can ever be justified, as well as providing a stylized exposition of problems within the justice system. However, while these are interesting aspects of the film, other problems with the production overshadowed its message. Rotten tomatoes Critical consensus describes the film as “downright absurd“, adding that “Law Abiding Citizen is plagued by mediocre acting and a story that defies reason.“. This assessment is reflected in the film’s disappointing score on Rotten Tomatoes, which stands at 26%.

Thanks to its themes and approach to disturbing scenes such as the torture in the warehouse, Law abiding citizen had the opportunity to pose some interesting questions to its audience. However, questionable execution elsewhere means that the potential power of these moments is lost. Despite this, the film remains a noteworthy entry in Gerard Butler’s career, and it’s easy to see why viewers are rediscovering it in 2024.

Sources: Film censorship, Rotten tomatoes