It’s at this point you think, Christ, Gerard Butler has gone mental. He then proceeds to scare the fuck out of him by showing him various implements he’s gonna use scalpel for his eye-lids, chainsaws for his legs, pliers for his balls. He takes him to an abandoned warehouse and ties him down to a chair. Perfect for Clyde’s vengeance-fueled needs. That poison he’s used? It’s a special toxin that allows the victim to feel and experience everything around him. Spikes covered with poison! We’re doubly shocked and awed when the voice on Darby’s phone turns out to be the cop himself! It gets dialed up to 11 when the cop removes his silly little moustache and OMG it’s Clyde in disguise. Instead of a bullet coming out the nozzle (c’mon we know how that shit is supposed to work) some little spikes come out of the handle. He pleads for his life just another poor soul at the wrong place at the wrong time.ĭarby laughs at the begging and pulls the trigger. They drive out to some horrible industrial estate and Darby orders the cop out. He comes across a cop unawares, pistol whips him, then takes him hostage. But someone is also looking out for Darby he gets wind that the police are coming and is guided away from the scene by some mysterious voice on his cellphone. An anonymous tip off leads the cops to Darby’s shithole. This is somehow linked to Ames’ old buddy, Darby. No chance, says Warden Inger.Īfter some snazzy forensic work it turns out that the death liquid got changed for some even nastier death liquid. This wasn’t supposed to happen.ĭetectives Garza (Michael Irby – Flightplan) and everyone’s favorite grumpy Irish character-actor Colm Meaney (in pretty much the same role as in Con Air) as Detective Dunnigan appear to quiz the shit out of everyone. Sarah is totally scarred (Ames was her first execution), and every else is freaking out. He dies with his veins all popping out like a body builder. Ames starts thrashing around in pain, like when that dickhead in the Green Mile forgot to wet that head sponge when they nuked that prisoner. Last time I checked, death by lethal injection was supposed to be humane. Clyde is curiously absent.Īs the various syringes of liquid are pumped in Ames arms, it’s clear that something isn’t right. His boss, district attorney Jonas Cantrell (Bruce McGill – Collateral) and assistant Sarah Lovell (Leslie Bibb – The Midnight Meat Train) are also in attendance. He’s also still a soulless devotee to statistics and prestige, but attends the execution out of good practice. Nick, now even more of a badass attorney, has a daughter of his own and is constantly getting in shit with the wife for working too hard and missing her recitals. Ten years later and Ames is still pleading innocent, even at his execution. Clyde is livid, and the press eats up the pictures of Darby and Nick shaking hands over the deal. Darby was just along for the ride on Ames’ crazy train.Īmes gets the death penalty whilst Darby walks in two years. He testifies against Ames, claiming that he was the mastermind and the murderer. Not wanting to risk his high clearance rate, Rice cuts a deal with Darby.
Some of the evidence turns up inadmissible, and Clyde’s own eye-witness account is brought into question. He has a 97% conviction rate, so this shit must be a done deal right? Wrong. Clyde even has hot shot lawyer Nick Rice (Jamie Foxx – Ali) as the prosecutor. But he survives and is compus enough to finger both Darby and Ames in a lineup. Mercifully we don’t see it, but he kills her, mrs. Darby, someone who looks like a fat, crack-addicted Robert Patrick (I seriously though it was him until I checked the credits), claims kids like him, and he takes her into another room. Sadly, little Shelton Jnr walks in on the situation. They tie up Clyde and his missus then start robbing the joint. Before reality can spoil anything, the house is raided by two low-life dirtbags, Clarence Darby (Christian Stolte – Public Enemies) and Rupert Ames (Josh Stewart – Interstellar). There’s no nagging about tidying rooms or queries about Clyde’s internet history. It’s almost too perfect his little girl makes him a “DAD” bracelet while the wife smiles on lovingly from afar. Gerard Butler ( 300) is Clyde Shelton, a mild-mannered suburban inventor who has a perfect little family.
But have you seen a defendant claim the judge takes it up the ass? Probably not unless you’ve seen Law Abiding Citizen. 12 Angry Men, A Few Good Men, numerous episodes of Star Trek. Even as a non-US citizen I still know what Exhibit A-Z refers to, that it sucks to have your objection overruled, and that there’s always a surprise witness. You gotta admit that the American courtroom is now a familiar element of cinema’s vocabulary.