Clyde Shelton- Villain or Antihero

[hockeyshark91]

Just re-watched Law Abiding Citizen last night and i'd like to see what the opinion of people is towards Shelton's character. He murdered innocent people, so he was no straight up hero. But then again, even the "good guys" at the end were willing to break laws in order to bring him down. This included Jamie Foxx's character, as well as the mayor, judge and detective Dunnigan.

[drush9999]

I'd go antihero, but then so is Foxx's character.
I route for Butler's character anyway, definitely not a villain.

[kevint1972]

It's an interesting case because it shows how casting can change a film. Apparently Shelton was supposed to be the bad guy but Gerard Butler is a much more likeable actor than Jamie Foxx, who is great playing characters like Ray Charles but I think less impressive as a generic hero. Butler comes across as so sympathetic as the bereaved husband and father that he does become an antihero. I think also many people are sympathetic to the view that the justice system is too biased towards the rights of criminals so to watch Shelton kill the judges and lawyers responsible for that system is less repugnant than when, say, the Joker plans to blow up random people on a ferry.

Making a movie where a vigilante is a bad guy is difficult. People watching Falling Down and The Brave One tend to sympathise with Michael Douglas and Jodie Foster's characters much more than disapprove of them. Douglas also made a 1983 film called The Star Chamber which is supposed to be a cautionary tale against summary justice but makes a much more compelling case for having a secret court than it makes against it. I think there is a natural instinct in most people to see criminals dealt with harshly that is hard to override.