The 2009 vigilante thriller Law Abiding Citizen, starring Gerard Butler and Jamie Foxx, will be available to stream on Netflix starting this October. The film offers a modern take on a genre popularized by movies like the Death Wish series and Taxi Driver, framing its story as a critique of the American justice system.
Directed by F. Gary Gray, the film stars Butler as a man whose family is brutally murdered. When the prosecutor, played by Foxx, makes a plea deal that allows one of the killers to receive a lighter sentence, Butler’s character, feeling betrayed by the legal system, orchestrates a series of elaborate and deadly attacks from behind bars.
Upon its release, Law Abiding Citizen received largely negative reviews, earning a 26% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics widely condemned its graphic violence, which they felt overshadowed any intended social commentary. The site’s consensus notes the film is “unnecessarily violent and unflinchingly absurd… plagued by subpar acting and a story that defies reason.” Despite the poor critical reception, the movie found moderate commercial success, grossing nearly $130 million worldwide on an estimated $50 million budget.
At the time, Butler was a rising star following the success of Zack Snyder’s 300, while Foxx was already an Academy Award winner. Gray, who had previously directed the 2003 remake of The Italian Job, went on to helm major blockbusters, including the critically acclaimed biopic Straight Outta Compton and the billion-dollar-grossing The Fate of the Furious. His more recent work includes the 2024 Netflix heist comedy Lift.
