Law Abiding Citizen (2009)

Jamie Foxx: Nick Rice

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Quotes 

• Jonas Cantrell : Tell us what we're dealing with. Shelton was a spy?

  Bray : Look, spies are a dime a dozen. I'm a spy. Clyde is a brain. He's a think tank-type guy. His specialty was low-impact kinetic operations.

  Nick Rice : That's a hell of a fancy way to say that he kills people.

  Bray : We kill people. He figured out how to do it without ever being in the same room. It was his gift, and he was the best. One time, we're tasking this tricky target. I mean, we're usin' cruise missiles and Predators, and we even had a B-2 Bomber flatten this guy's villa with JDAM. Alright, we're burnin' up millions in ordnance and we're gettin' nowhere with this guy. So we call Clyde, and we ask him to solve our problem. Clyde develops a Kevlar thread with a high-tech ratchet made of carbon fiber. Put it in a necktie. Two days later, Mrs. Bad Guy comes home, finds Mr. Bad Guy dead on the bathroom tile, choked to death. What I'm sayin' is, just assume that this guy can hear and see everything that you're doing.

  Nick Rice : No. We got him locked away; maximum security.

  Bray : He's in jail, it's because he wants to be in jail. He's a born tactician. Every move that he makes, it means something. That cellmate that he killed, what, you think that was random? No. That's a pawn being moved off the board. If I were you, I'd be lookin' for the next piece. Anybody who had anything to do with that case, he's gonna be comin' after you.

  Nick Rice : So what are you sayin'? You sayin' we can't stop him?

  Bray : Walk into his cell, and put a bullet in his head. Aside from that, no, you can't stop him. If Clyde wants you dead, you're dead.

• 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.

• 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.

• Nick Rice : [after Clyde pleading to him not to offer a plea bargain deal to Darby]  It's not what you know. It's what you can prove in court.

• [last lines] 

  Nick Rice : Like I said Clyde, it's a decision you'll have to live with for the rest of your life. Which I figure right now is about 25 more seconds.

• 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?

• Judge Laura Burch : [while in her office, Burch's cell phone rings; she reaches for it] 

  Nick Rice : Hey, wait, you're gonna take that? After all the grief you've given me over cell phones?

  Judge Laura Burch : Well, that's one of the benefits of being a judge, Mr. Rice. I can... pretty much do whatever I want.

  [as soon as she answers the phone, it explodes - immediately killing her] 

• 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.

• Jonas Cantrell : [while walking to meet Bray]  Clyde's government contract payments were bothering me, so I pulled some ancient strings. We're meeting someone.

  Nick Rice : Who might that be?

  Jonas Cantrell : Someone who does some really nasty shit so we can live the American Dream.

• [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.

• Nick Rice : [to reporters]  Ask your questions one at a time.

  Reporter : So you'll be seeking the death penalty?

  Nick Rice : For Rupert Ames, we will be.

  Reporter : And for Darby?

  Nick Rice : He has pleaded guilty to murder, but he's also a cooperating witness. Rest assured, the DA's office has committed all of its resources to ensure justice will be served.

  Clarence Darby : [Grabs nick's hand and shakes it]  I just want to say thank you for being in my corner. It's nice when the system works.

  Nick Rice : [Disgusted with him]  Get away from me.

• Nick Rice : [to Dunnigan]  Why does anybody tunnel *into* prison?

• Nick Rice : [to Clyde softly while he sits in a confinement cell]  What I'm about to tell you I don't want anybody else to hear. As a prosecutor, I'm breaking all the rules right now, and I don't give a damn because I'm a father. I have a little girl. And what you did... bravo. The world is better without Darby and Ames. You're not gonna see a tear shed from me or anybody in my office. With that being said... I have a job to do.

• 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?

• Nick Rice : [Playfully talking to his daughter through his pregnant wife's womb]  First of all, this is your father speaking.

  Kelly Rice : [Amused]  Yeah, she didn't know that.

  Nick Rice : You never know. I wish you can stay in there as long as you can because there's a lot of crazy ass people out here.

  Kelly Rice : Watch your language.

  Nick Rice : Your mother's a hard ass.

  Kelly Rice : I'm right here.

  Nick Rice : [jokingly ignoring Kelly]  And daddy wants you to come out and be "daddy's little girl."

• Detective Dunnigan : [before illegally breaking into a storage facility owned by Clyde]  You're gonna do that? Here? What about his civil rights?

  Nick Rice : *Fuck* his civil rights.

• Nick Rice : [to Clyde, while his in solitary confinement]  All you're doing is destroying the memory of your daughter. And causing the same pain that you're suffering from.

• Jonas Cantrell : [while walking to talk to reporters]  Once you make a decision, live with it and move on, this job's best asset is a short memory and don't beat yourself up over it, there's already too many people doing it.

  Nick Rice : Is this where you tell me some old fable or wise tale?

  Jonas Cantrell : Alright I got one: Marcus Aurelius hired a servant to follow behind him as he made his way around the roman town square and this servant's only job was to constantly whisper in his ear "you're only a man" when people praised him.

  Nick Rice : That's bullshit, you don't even know what the story means.

• 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.

• Nick Rice : [In a car on their way to arrest Darby]  I put him away.

  Detective Garza : [Reading his criminal profile on a computer]  Three years? Is that the going rate for murder these days?

  Nick Rice : It was extenuating circumstances.

  Detective Dunnigan : The only "extenuating" circumstance should be is that he didn't do it.

  Detective Garza : But still, three years at "gladiator academy" like Marion Penitentiary, you expect him to come back a model citizen?

  Nick Rice : If you scholars didn't contaminate the crime scene I could've kept him up locked up longer

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• Sarah Lowell : Would you do it the same way now? Would you still cut a deal with Darby?

  Nick Rice : This is the job. We have to make choices.

  Sarah Lowell : But did you make the right choice?

  Nick Rice : We made the right choice, right?

  Sarah Lowell : I don't know. I'm thirty five and there's things and possibilities I'm not going to have now. And its ok. I know it's part of the deal. Don't get me wrong. I love working for you. I just want to make sure I gave up those things for something more than just a high conviction rate.

• [from trailer] 

  Nick Rice : You end this!

  Clyde Shelton : [smiles]  I'm just gettin' warmed up.

• Nick Rice : [to Darby in court]  Please fuck this up, so I can destroy you.

• Nick Rice : [blocking a lecherous comment toward a colleague during Ames' execution]  What are you doing, Reynolds. Why are you here, your DVD player broken?

• Nick Rice : [Referring to Ames' execution]  You know you don't have to go to this if you don't want to.

  Sarah Lowell : Yeah I do, what's it like?

  Nick Rice : No biggie. It's like watching someone fall asleep.

  Sarah Lowell : Except the not waking up part? Does it bother you?

  Nick Rice : Not anymore.

• Nick Rice : [Tasting his daughter's French toast]  It's very good, you cook better than your mother.

  Kelly Rice : [Upon entering the kitchen from another room]  I heard that! Are you going to our daughter's recital this afternoon?

  Nick Rice : I thought you were going to order the DVD.

  Kelly Rice : That's not the same.

  Denise Rice : [to Kelly]  It's okay, I know Dad's got to work.

  Nick Rice : That's right! Dad's got to work. And what does Dad do during the day?

  Denise Rice : Lock up bad guys!

  Nick Rice : And why does he do that?

  Denise Rice : To keep us safe.

• 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.

• 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.

• Jonas Cantrell : [after Sarah's funeral]  She was a good kid. Did we bring all of this on ourselves?

  Nick Rice : Absolutely not.

  Jonas Cantrell : You don't actually believe that? Do you?

  Nick Rice : Absolutely.

  Jonas Cantrell : I want to read you something from my speech before we go: "We must not give into the fear. We must face the things we fear the most. We must appeal to our better angels." Is it too much?

  Nick Rice : It's just before when you asked me if we brought this on ourselves you didn't. No one did. I did. When I was young, I really wanted to change the system. I was ready to fight. I was going to be the best no matter what. You get an itch here, you get an itch there., Once you get caught up in the game, you suddenly realize the system you wanted to change actually changes you. I lost my way.

• Judge Laura Burch : [while in her office]  I can't supersede the penal code you've already got him in solitary confinement, if he gets a descent paralegal he'll be out of there by next week

  Jonas Cantrell : We just want to limit his options, give him less contact less access even if it's just rescinding his mandatory exercise for a week

  Judge Laura Burch : Under what clause?

  Nick Rice : Whatever clause you want wrap it around any legal piece of doctrine that will help you rationalize it

  Judge Laura Burch : Let me get this straight: you want me to violate his God given civil rights in the name of some murky sense of the "greater good"?

• Nick Rice : [at Ames's execution]  What are you doing here, Reynolds? Your DVD player broken?

  Bill Reynolds : Ames has no family. Someone should be here for him.

  Nick Rice : [sarcastically]  That's nice.

  Rupert Ames : [His last words]  What I did that night was wrong. I should've never been there. But I swear to God, I didn't kill those people. The wrong man's dying here today. The wrong man's dying. That's all.

• Nick Rice : [Referring to the machine administering the lethal injection execution]  how does it work on a good day?

  Warden Iger : It's designed to be pain free, three drugs injected in a specific order.

  Nick Rice : At this point on, we're operating under the assumption the machine was corrupted.

  Detective Dunnigan : We're going to need a list of people who had access to the machine.

  Warden Iger : My people would not do this.

  Detective Dunnigan : I appreciate that, but I'm going to need more than a "hall pass" or a "note from mom."

  Nick Rice : [Reads writing written on one of the empty canisters in an evidence bag]  "Can't fight fate". During the home invasion, Ames' accomplice said to one of the victim's the exact same phrase. Then he said the same thing to me in court.

• Sarah Lowell : [Referring to Darby]  They found him in about twenty five pieces. No legs, no arms. Eyelids were sliced off. Gruesome.

  Nick Rice : Shedding tears for him?

  Sarah Lowell : Not quite.

  Nick Rice : Where'd they find him?

  Sarah Lowell : In a warehouse owned by Clyde Shelton.

  Nick Rice : What else?

  Sarah Lowell : He's a tinkerer: little inventions, gizmos. He holds two dozen patents that made him some money. He liquidated most of his wealth a few years ago to buy some industrial properties around airports, chemical plants, rail yards.

  Nick Rice : It doesn't add up.

  Sarah Lowell : I know, it's weird right?

  Nick Rice : Search them all and see what you can find.

• Jonas Cantrell : [walking up to Nick in a hallway, outside the confinement cell after Nick turned down Clyde's deal in a hurry]  Hey, what are you doing?

  Nick Rice : [just existed the confinement cell]  What do you mean?

  Jonas Cantrell : [standing in front of each other]  Why'd you tell him "no"?

  Nick Rice : A mattress? He doesn't get to make those kinds of decisions.

  Jonas Cantrell : Take your ego out of it, Nick. Shelton's right - this case is shit. We need a confession. And a mattress for a murder confession? That's a pretty good deal.

  Nick Rice : He's playing us, Jonas!

  Jonas Cantrell : Well, then we will play him!

• Sarah Lowell : [Over the phone]  We can't put Clyde Shelton anywhere. Not in a job, not in the city and not even in the country, so I dug a little deeper and I found something from his missing years. A couple of contract payments to Clyde from Department of Defense.

  Nick Rice : And his real estate?

  Sarah Lowell : He bought nine properties under his own name. Then he transferred them to some corporation in Panama. We can't get to the addresses because a lack of reciprocities is our problem, so we'll circle back to the farmhouse.

  Nick Rice : That's a waste of time. He wanted us to find it and find him there. It's the industrial stuff that's curious, alright. I don't know what you have to do and I don't care who you have to piss off. If we have to invade Panama again, fine. Clyde is hiding those properties for a reason. Find it.

  Sarah Lowell : I'm on it.

• 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.

• Nick Rice : [to and his staff as they all nervously watch the clock countdown to 6am]  Alright, let's just stay focused here. This guy is not God, he's not the "all powerful", he's just well-prepared. We need to be equally well prepared, so take a couple hours off, go home and when we come back, we'll get a fresh start.