Wednesday, March 24, 2010

The Brewvie Review: Law Abiding Citizen

Gerard Butler is the freakin' man.  Seriously.  He can play funny, with a chauvinistic bent, as he did in the romcom, The Ugly Truth. He can do straight romance as he did in P.S. I Love You. And previews for The Bounty Hunter (staring the hottest Friend of all, Jennifer Aniston) look hilarious too. We know he can act the hell outta action/adventure movies as he did in the kick ass 300, and the overlooked (but should be seen) Beowulf & Grendel. Well, add another righteous flick to his ever growing list of movie stardom credentials.

Law Abiding Citizen
 
Traumatized by the atrocious murders of his wife and daughter -- and the flawed justice system that set the killers free -- Clyde Shelton (Gerard Butler) gives in to his rage and sets out on a course of vengeance. He soon takes on not only the prosecutor involved in the case, Nick Rice (Jamie Foxx), but also the city of Philadelphia. Director F. Gary Gray's bold crime thriller co-stars Viola Davis and Michael Gambon.


Jesus, Joseph and Mary! Vengeance is an understatement! But this isn't your typical old school, video game indestructo-man wading through waves of enemies with nary a scratch. This flick is Death Wish for a new era, high-tech and smart.

Critics almost universally panned this movie. But then what do they know? Most paid critics: 1) are out of touch with what the viewing public actually likes (kind of like politicians and wine snobs), or 2) don't care what the viewing public actually likes (kind of like politicians and wine snobs). In my personal opinion the only movie critic worth listening to is Joe Bob Briggs.

Interestingly enough, I almost universally don't care what paid movie critics think. As one Average Joe Movie Goer to another... this movie kicked all kinds of ass! LAC is a  guy-flick up there with the likes of Shoot 'Em Up and The Boondock Saints. And here's something you won't here a movie critic say: vigilantism gets a bad rap. Every day we hear how police departments are forced to cut officers and equipment needed to do their jobs (i.e., helicopters, canine units, real guns instead of cap guns, etc.), which in effect makes it impossible for them to actually do their job. Criminals don't play by the rules. Crime fighters shouldn't be handcuffed when fighting crime. So why not get some help from the public? Just like the "cab cops" here in Colorado Springs.  Anywho...

Law Abiding Citizen gets a score of: 


Beer suggestion for LAC

After searching far and wide for just the right beverage to go with this vengeance filled movie I finally found the right culprit - Dirty Justice from Boulder, Colorado's Mountain Sun Brewery. This 9.5% ABV strong Belgian red ale (aged in Merlot barrels with bugs) will hit you right where it counts. Again and again and again. Unfortunately, this is a one-off beer that was made for and poured at the inaugural Boulder Sour Fest - "Pucker up, buttercup" is the slogan for the festival, which makes for an awesome movie hero one liner! - hosted by Avery Brewing Company in late February.  Thus, it's likely impossible to get. Heck, this is so one-off there's not even a label for it!  But with a name like Dirty Justice it just had to be picked. Even if you could get your hands on this thing it'd be only one bottle, so you'll have to make it last.  That's A-OK given the ABV level of this brew, because the intricacies and details to which Clyde Shelton (Gerard Butler) goes to in this flick to reap vengeance should be followed with a semi-coherent mind.  Since there is no image for this beer I'll leave you with the man who was actually the first actor considered for the role of Snake Plissken in the great movie, Escape from New York...



If you recall I mentioned The Boondock Saints earlier. Up next...  Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day!

No comments: