The overall Rating of the movie Law Abiding Citizen is Generally unfavorable, as metacritic.com has it at a 34 Score out of 100. Not too good, in fact it seems that many movie reviewers hate it. Los Angeles Times (40), The New York Times (10), Boston Globe (25) and Variety (60).

Here are the more favorable reviews:

True torture-porn aficionados will be disappointed, as editor Tariq Anwar cuts away right before blade meets flesh — a move that feels a tad, well, gutless under the circumstances. But elsewhere, “Citizen” proves startlingly graphic, even by R-rated standards. -Variety

Clyde can’t believe this. He saw his family murdered. Both men are guilty. On this everyone agrees. Why is one allowed to live? Because, Nick explains, the case isn’t airtight without the testimony, and if they lose, both men walk free. That’s not good enough for Clyde, who has 10 years to plot, plan and simmer in his hatred. That’s the prologue. I won’t go into detail about what happens next, except to observe that Clyde’s first killing involves his penetration of the Death Row execution chamber itself — and that’s before he’s in prison. Is this guy Houdini, or does he have supernatural powers? -Chicago Sun-Times

Gerard Butler (who also is a producer) plays this supposedly average guy who witnesses the slaughter of his wife and daughter by home-invasion robbers. Curiously, this pair seems more interested in being outrageously sadistic than in grabbing anything worth fencing, but that’s so an audience will understand these really are bad people who deserve to die. -The Hollywood Reporter.

The Mixed and less favorable reviews in the media.

But really, “Law Abiding Citizen” has about as much to say about real-life legal issues as “Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen” had to say about defense policy. And it has less ethical gravity than any three of the “Saw” movies. Though it sometimes puts on a serious face, this movie, directed with snarling, snappish style by F. Gary Gray (“The Italian Job”), wears its preposterousness with a certain pride. It’s about the cat-and-mouse game between two very smart guys, and it’s perfectly happy to be as dumb as it wants. -The New York Times

A movie devoted to baroque revenge would be, on its own terms, acceptable; what makes Law Abiding Citizen so risible is its humorless conviction that it’s got Big Ideas at its core.-Washington Post

The movie appears to have been written by an automated thriller generator (enter city, enter occupations, enter films whose box office you’d like to emulate). So it hardly matters who’s stopping Butler. (Kurt Wimmer gets credit for the script.) The plot and its twists remain the same. So does the dialogue. “Lessons learned are soon forgotten.’’ “That’s how winners play.’’ “I’m gonna bring this whole diseased temple down on your head. It’s gonna be biblical!’’ Most of the lines sound as if they were first spoken on “CSI,’’ “NCIS,’’ or the WWE. -Boston Globe