Law Abiding Citizen (2009)
Gerard Butler: Clyde Shelton
Photos
Quotes
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Nick Rice : You think your wife and daughter would feel good about you killing in their name?
Clyde Shelton : My wife and daughter can't feel anything. They're dead.
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Clyde Shelton : [talking privately outside the prison] I'm just getting started. I'm gonna pull the whole thing down. I gonna bring the whole fuckin' diseased corrupt temple down on your heads. It's gonna be Biblical.
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Clyde Shelton : [in court, laughing and clapping after judge grant bail, after his charade] Thank you.
Judge Laura Burch : Excuse me?
Clyde Shelton : No, I don't think I will excuse you. You see, this is what I'm talking about. You were about to let me go. Are you kidding me? This is why we're here in the first place. You think I don't remember who you are, lady?
Judge Laura Burch : I would tread carefully, Mr. Shelton.
Clyde Shelton : Well, how carefully should I tread? Because apparently I just killed two people, and you were about to let me walk right out that door! How MISGUIDED are you? I feed you a couple of bullshit legal precedents, and there you go - you jump on it like a bitch in heat. Folks, you all hang out...
Judge Laura Burch : [nervously starts pounding with gavel on a sounding block] I'm warning you, Mr. Shelton!
Clyde Shelton : ...in the same little club...
Judge Laura Burch : You will be held in contempt!
Clyde Shelton : ...and every day you let madmen and murderers back on the street. You're too busy treating the law...
Judge Laura Burch : [keeps pounding] One more time!
Clyde Shelton : ...like it's a fucking assembly line!
Judge Laura Burch : One more time.
Clyde Shelton : Do you have any idea what justice is?
Judge Laura Burch : You are now...
Clyde Shelton : Whatever happened to right and wrong?
Judge Laura Burch : ...in contempt of court.
Clyde Shelton : Whatever happened to right and wrong?
Judge Laura Burch : Remove this man.
Clyde Shelton : Whatever happened to the people?
Judge Laura Burch : Bail denied!
Clyde Shelton : Whatever happened to justice?
Judge Laura Burch : Bail denied!
Clyde Shelton : And I bet you take it up the fucking ass, bitch.
Judge Laura Burch : Bailiff!
Clyde Shelton : [to Nick Rice, as he's being dragged away in cuffs by bailiffs] Hey, see you later, Nick.
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[Darby is lying paralyzed on a table]
Clyde Shelton : These are tourniquets, so you don't bleed out, 'cause you may be here a while.
[points to an IV rig]
Clyde Shelton : Saline solution, that should keep us going.
[tightens Darby's restraints]
Clyde Shelton : Clamps nice and secure. Comfortable? You really are shaking. Sure you're all right?
[picks up a syringe]
Clyde Shelton : You'll love this. Adrenaline. Now this is so you don't pass out.
[injects Darby]
Clyde Shelton : There you go. How's it feel? Good? Now what we don't want is you swallowing your tongue, so bear with me...
[inserts a mouthpiece into Darby's mouth]
Clyde Shelton : There we go.
[holds up a box cutter]
Clyde Shelton : Now this is for your penis, but we'll get to that later.
[holds up a scalpel]
Clyde Shelton : Scalpel. This is for your eyelids... in case you insist on fucking shutting them. You see, I know what it feels like to be helpless. Just like when I watched you slaughter my whole family. Oh, you can't fight fate, right, Darby...? Oh! Look, I made this especially for you.
[Cranks a full-length mirror into position over Darby, giving him a view of his whole body]
Clyde Shelton : You like it? I didn't want you to miss anything. Now you have the best view in the house. You hear that? Your heart is beating so fast. You know, me too. Look.
[He points to the mirror, where a photo of Clyde's wife and daughter is taped to the corner]
Clyde Shelton : Now they get to watch you suffer. They'll be the last thing you ever see... as I cut off every single one of your fucking limbs. See, I wasn't lying when I told you I wanted to keep you out of prison. That was the truth.
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Clyde Shelton : [to Darby] This... Tetrodotoxin. Should be nicely into your system by now. Isolated from the liver of a Caribbean Puffer Fish. So, it paralyzes you... and leaves all the other neurological functions perfectly intact. In other words, you can't move... but you feel everything. It does absolutely nothing to blunt the pain... and you're about to experience more of that, than you could ever fucking imagine.
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Nick Rice : I had to call his wife and tell her that her husband had been buried alive.
Clyde Shelton : [while in solitary confinement] Well, justice should be harsh Nick... especially for those who denied it to others.
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Clyde Shelton : ln my experience, Nick, lessons not learned in blood are soon forgotten.
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Clyde Shelton : [covered in blood after he murders his cellmate] I need a shower, Warden.
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Nick Rice : [sitting across from him at their table] Is your name Clyde Alexander Shelton?
Clyde Shelton : Yes, sir.
Nick Rice : And you've waived your right to counsel, is that correct?
Clyde Shelton : Yes, sir.
Nick Rice : You sure you want to do that?
Clyde Shelton : Yes.
Nick Rice : Did you murder Clarence Darby?
Clyde Shelton : I wanted him dead. He killed my wife and child.
Nick Rice : Rupert Ames, did you murder him as well?
Clyde Shelton : Rupert Ames deserved to die. They both deserved to die.
Nick Rice : So you arranged both of those murders?
Clyde Shelton : Yes, I planned it in my head over and over again. It took me a long time.
Nick Rice : All right. I guess we're done here.
[gets up to leave]
Clyde Shelton : Counselor? You might want to cancel your 12:30 lunch with Judge Roberts.
Nick Rice : Excuse me?
Clyde Shelton : In fact, you might want to cancel the rest of the week because you're going to be busy. Sit down.
Nick Rice : We're done here. We have your confession.
Clyde Shelton : Oh, you do?
Nick Rice : On tape. See, in our profession, we consider that a "slam dunk".
Clyde Shelton : Oh, really? I don't think so. Let's think back. What did I say? That "I wanted to kill Clarence Darby"? Yeah, sure. What father wouldn't? That "Darby and Ames both deserved to die"? I think most people would agree with that. That "I planned it over and over in my head"? Yeah, who wouldn't fantasize about that? None of these are an admission of guilt, Nick. You might wanna check the tape.
Nick Rice : We know you did it.
Clyde Shelton : Well, *it's not what you know, it's what you can prove in court*! Didn't you tell me that once?
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Clyde Shelton : [talking privately outside the prison] I'm at war with this...
[indicating the system]
Clyde Shelton : This, this broken thing. This thing that brought you and I together.
Nick Rice : This broken thing works for people that are sane. You think doing what you're doing is going change anything? You and whoever else you have helping you, are gonna pay.
Clyde Shelton : I don't think you have any idea who's helping me, or what I'm doing.
Nick Rice : It's a matter of time.
Clyde Shelton : You see the bodies, you see the smoke. But the larger picture still eludes you.
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Clyde Shelton : [to Nick, while in a confinement cell, referring to Darby] I took his fingers with bolt cutters, his toes with tin snips, his balls with a hack saw, and his penis with a box cutter, how's that for specifics?
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Clyde Shelton : [to Dunnigan, while confined in shackles] That's what a wrench is for, dumbass!
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[from trailer]
Clyde Shelton : You're the one who makes deals with murderers yeah? Well I've come to make mine. Release me.
Nick Rice : [smugly] Or what?
Clyde Shelton : Or I kill everyone.
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Clyde Shelton : [while in a confinement cell] Nick, I told you I would give you a confession. And I meant it.
Nick Rice : I saw your "movie" today. So did my daughter.
Clyde Shelton : Well, you taught your daughter about good versus evil?
Nick Rice : I don't have to.
Clyde Shelton : Well, that's what this "movie" was about: good conquering evil. The righteous prospering, the wicked suffering.
Nick Rice : I didn't get that. I'm giving you one more chance, Clyde. And don't test me because I will run you over.
Clyde Shelton : Fair enough. You did get me my bed. A deal's a deal.
Nick Rice : That was you on video killing Clarence Darby, wasn't it?
Clyde Shelton : Yes, that was me.
[beat]
Clyde Shelton : Okay, fair enough. That was me, Clyde Shelton, on the video, killing Clarence Darby.
Nick Rice : Not good enough, Clyde. I need specifics.
Clyde Shelton : [leans in] I took his fingers with bolt cutters, his toes with tin snips, his balls with a hacksaw, and his penis with a box cutter. How's that for "specifics"?
Nick Rice : And Ames?
Clyde Shelton : Switching the canisters was easy. Everything's automated these days, so I just hacked into the shipping company's server and swapped a few numbers around so the package came to me. Then I switched the potassium chloride with something a little more... deliberate.
Nick Rice : Well, I'm tired of hearing your bullshit. I got everything I need.
Clyde Shelton : What now?
Nick Rice : I go home; you go to prison. You know, the righteous prospering, the wicked suffering. That ought to make you feel better about the system.
Clyde Shelton : What if I had another confession to make?
Nick Rice : [getting up] Call a priest.
Clyde Shelton : But another confession would mean another deal, Nick, so you would have to give me something in return. You ever been to Del Frisco's? They cater. So for lunch, I would love a 200z porterhouse steak, medium, maybe a little bit charred, with all the trimmings- pommes frites, asparagus, butter squash.
Nick Rice : Fuck you and your pommes frites.
Clyde Shelton : You know what? Can I have my iPod as well? I'd love a little bit of music with my meal.
Nick Rice : [about to leave the room] First rule of negotiating, Clyde: you gotta have something to bargain with.
Clyde Shelton : Would the life of Bill Reynolds suffice?
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Clyde Shelton : [to Dwight, about the Warden] I don't think he likes me very much.
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Clyde Shelton : [Surprised to see Nick in his cell] I wasn't expecting company. Yeah, I would have -- I would have cleaned up a little.
Nick Rice : Never seen anybody tunnel into prison before. And the solitary confinement? That was clever.
Clyde Shelton : Well, that's how winners play. We "convince" the other guy that he's making all the right moves. So, did you ever catch my accomplice?
Nick Rice : Yeah, I did. It's the end of the road for you now. You played us, Clyde. You played us real good.
Clyde Shelton : Thank you. You know, I'm glad you finally get to appreciate some of the effort that I put into all of this.
Nick Rice : Well, you set out to make a point, Clyde. You made it.
Clyde Shelton : No, people still don't get it. They don't appreciate what I'm trying to say, Nick, but they will soon enough.
Nick Rice : A man I cared about once told me that we can't retract the decisions that we've made, we can only affect the decisions we're going to make from here.
Clyde Shelton : Are you trying to save me now, Nick?
Nick Rice : I'm giving you a way out. Big difference. Stand up for those principles you've been preaching. See, we're all held accountable, Clyde. That includes you. Why don't we do the right thing here?
Clyde Shelton : I'm doing the right thing, Nick. You just have to see it that way.
Nick Rice : By murdering all those people, all you're doing is destroying the memory of your daughter and causing the same pain that you're suffering from.
Clyde Shelton : So what do you suggest, Nick? Make another deal? One final offer? Is that what it is?
Nick Rice : I don't make deals with murderers anymore, Clyde. You taught me that.
Clyde Shelton : [scoffs] Finally. Well done. Bravo. Maybe I wasn't such a bad teacher after all.
Nick Rice : If you go through with this, Clyde, it's a decision you'll have to live with for the rest of your life.
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Nick Rice : [In court] In light of Mr. Shelton's economic means and his potential flight risk, the egregious nature of both Mr. Ames's and Mr. Darby's deaths, the state requests that bail be denied, Your Honor.
Judge Laura Burch : Seeing as how you've... waived your right to counsel, Mr. Shelton, do you have anything to say? Mr. Shelton? Do you have anything that you'd like to say, Mr. Shelton?
Clyde Shelton : Yes yes yes, Your Honor. Should I stand?
Judge Laura Burch : Please.
Clyde Shelton : Your Honor, I'm a law-abiding citizen. I'm just a regular guy. I am not a flight risk. And this is my first alleged offense. And the prosecution has not presented one single piece of evidence against me. Now in these circumstances, unless the state has obtained some new piece of information relating to my involvement in the matter in question, then I find it highly prejudiciaI, even constitutionally offensive, to keep me detained without bail. It's a slippery slope, Your Honor. Haven't we seen the result of such violations, both internationally and domestically? Case in point would be Day v. McDonough, docket 041325.
Judge Laura Burch : [stunned] I am... actually inclined to agree with you, Mr. Shelton.
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Nick Rice : [punching Clyde while Dunnigan outside the prison after he killed Nick's entire legal staff] You slaughtered six fucking innocent people, is that how you want to play this?
Clyde Shelton : Its ok, I know you're angry that's what it takes.
Nick Rice : What if I said "you were right and I was wrong?" What if I said, "Let's take them to trial?"
Clyde Shelton : I'd say "you'd be making progress".
Nick Rice : And we might've lost and both Ames and Darby would both go free, don't you get that?
Clyde Shelton : You didn't even care, you didn't even try, you could've walked out of that courtroom with your head held high I could've lived with that.
Nick Rice : I'm keeping my head and you will end this.
Clyde Shelton : This is going to be Von Clausewitz shit: total fucking war.
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Clyde Shelton : [while in a confinement cell] I want one of those really nice beds. I just... I can't think straight without a nice sleep. The bed in my cell is just so lumpy.
Nick Rice : The ones on TV really late night?
Clyde Shelton : Yeah, that's the one.
Nick Rice : The one with the old couple in the bed?
Clyde Shelton : Yeah. It has lumbar support.
Nick Rice : Okay, I know what you mean.
Clyde Shelton : So? Are you going to take the deal?
Nick Rice : Fuck no.
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Dwight Dixon : What'd you do to get in here, anyways?
Clyde Shelton : I did what I had to do.
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Nick Rice : [standing in front of him with his arms crossed] The only problem with your theory is that Darby's body was found on your property.
Clyde Shelton : One of my many properties. An old abandoned warehouse, Nick. Junkies, they trespass there all the time. Isn't Darby involved in the drug trade? That's an unsavory world. I bet you a jury would agree. Or perhaps someone was trying to frame me.
Nick Rice : You know, Clyde, there's a lot of assholes in prison that thought they were smarter than me. Let's stop fucking around.
Clyde Shelton : Nick, unless you have any hard evidence, then why are we even here? Why are we having this conversation?
Nick Rice : What do you want?
Clyde Shelton : Well, that's easy. Now you're the one who makes deals with murderers, yeah? So I've come to make mine. I will give you a confession, a real confession. You just have to give me something in return.
Nick Rice : Yeah, well, since you are a murderer, what might that be?
Clyde Shelton : A bed. But a nice bed. I want a nice new one for my cell. Very simple. You're gonna have to deal with that, because the one I have is lumpy, Nick. It's making me crazy.
Nick Rice : [after laughing at his request] I think you got confused with detail people. See, I don't deal with prison conditions.
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Clyde Shelton : [Referring to his meal from Del Frisco's while in their cell] I suppose if I don't share this with you then...
Dwight Dixon : [interrupts him] I'm going to get the fuck up, I'm going to cock back my right hand, and I'll split your whole fucking head in two, now about that?
Clyde Shelton : Come on over here. Join me. There's plenty to go around.
Dwight Dixon : You got a girl or something?
Clyde Shelton : It's a long story. How about you? You got a girl?
Dwight Dixon : I got a few broads back home.
Clyde Shelton : Oh yeah? You don't have a boyfriend in here, do you?
Dwight Dixon : [amused] Get the fuck out of here.
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Clyde Shelton : [In Nick's office] I didn't hear back from you and I made some notes on the case, some good ideas.
Nick Rice : Do you trust me?
Clyde Shelton : Yes, of course.
Nick Rice : Darby has agreed to testify against Ames with Darby's testimony. Ames will go to death row.
Clyde Shelton : What about Darby then?
Nick Rice : Darby will plead guilty of murder.
Clyde Shelton : In what degree?
Nick Rice : Third.
Clyde Shelton : Then he would only serve five years at best? I'm sorry I don't understand.
Nick Rice : We had a setback. The judge ruled the DNA evidence is inadmissible.
Clyde Shelton : What?
Nick Rice : Exclusionary rule. The opposing counsel maneuvered it.
Clyde Shelton : You said this part of the case was "clear cut." We had the blood on the shirt.
Nick Rice : It's covered under the same rule.
Clyde Shelton : What about the rest of the forensic evidence?
Nick Rice : It's not conclusive.
Clyde Shelton : But I saw their faces. I saw them kill my wife and child.
Nick Rice : You blacked out. Your testimony won't be reliable. If we put you on the stand, the defense would tear you apart.
Clyde Shelton : The jury's going to believe me, though, because it's the truth.
Nick Rice : We could lose, and then we have nothing. We could spend a whole year, spend millions of dollars, and both of them could end up going free.
Clyde Shelton : Please don't do this.
Nick Rice : I made the deal. I'm sorry, I know you don't think this right now, but this is a victory for us.
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Clyde Shelton : [Over the phone in a disguised voice] Clarence Darby?
Clarence Darby : Who's this?
Clyde Shelton : Coke on the table, bitch on the floor. Life in prison.
Clarence Darby : Who the fuck is this?
Clyde Shelton : Look out your window - south side.
Clarence Darby : Is this a joke?
[to prostitute]
Clarence Darby : Get up!
[looks out wrong window]
Clyde Shelton : *South side*!
Clarence Darby : [while running on the roofs from one building to the next] What now?
Clyde Shelton : Wipe the prints off the gun. Get rid of it.
Clarence Darby : No, no!
Clyde Shelton : You fired six times, genius. You bring any ammunition? Lose it.
Clarence Darby : Why are you doing this?
Clyde Shelton : I want to keep you out of prison. See the abandoned factories? Go towards them.
Clarence Darby : Why?
Clyde Shelton : There's a cop car there with a cop in it.
Clarence Darby : *What the fuck?*
Clyde Shelton : I Tasered him, but he'll be waking up in about 90 seconds, so you'd better move.
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Clyde Shelton : [Telling Nick Bill Reynolds' location while sitting his cell] thirty nine degrees fifty seven minutes four seconds north, seventy five degrees ten minutes twenty two seconds west
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Clarence Darby : Let's go. Get the fuck down there.
[pushes Shelton onto a riverbank and prepares to execute him]
Clyde Shelton : [Disguised as a police officer] Hey, what about my... my wife, my little girl? I'll never see them again.
Clarence Darby : Fucked up, ain't it?
[cell phone rings]
Clarence Darby : Oh, oh, oh! Don't mind if I take this, do you?
[answers the phone]
Clarence Darby : Hey, my guardian angel! I am impressed.
Clyde Shelton : [Speaks to Darby through his cell phone] You know why I'll never see my wife and little girl again?
[turns to Darby and reveals his identity]
Clyde Shelton : Because you took them from me.
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[to Del Fresco's waiter, serving him a meal in prison]
Clyde Shelton : Oh, excuse me, waiter? You might want to put 30% down for yourself, my man.
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Nick Rice : And vengeance keeps you warm at night?
Clyde Shelton : [suddenly angry] Vengeance? That's what you think this is about? *Vengeance*?
Nick Rice : What else could it be?
Clyde Shelton : No, Nick, I had 10 years for vengeance, if that's what I wanted. You don't think that I watch you go to work every morning at 8:00 AM? Or that I watch Kelly take Denise to school, 8:15? No, I could have slaughtered you or your family anytime I wanted!
Nick Rice : [quietly seething] You even think about touching my family -- you even think about touching my family...
[regains composure]
Nick Rice : I do my job. I'm the best at it. It works.
Clyde Shelton : You were doing your job the way that best served you, Nick - the way that it best served you. That has to change.
Nick Rice : What do you want, Clyde? You at war with the whole world? It's not going to bring anybody back.
