Clyde Shelton (Gerard Butler) is the victim of a home invasion robbery that leaves his wife and daughter dead. Unfortunately the investigators bungle the evidence allowing one of the men to get off while the other goes to death row. Shelton is none too happy about this, pleading with prosecutor Nick Rice (Jamie Foxx) to try the case anyway. Rice refuses instead making a deal with Clarence Darby (Christian Stolte) for third degree murder, while his partner in crime is executed 10 years later. When Darby is taken and murdered by Shelton, he begins a wave of attacks that are aimed at punishing the legal system that failed him and leaving everyone involved in danger.