Synopsis:
A young couple (Patrick Wilson and Kerry
Washington) has just moved into their California
dream home when they become the target of their
next-door neighbor, who disapproves of their
interracial relationship. A stern, single
father, this tightly wound LAPD officer (Samuel
L. Jackson) has appointed himself the watchdog
of the neighborhood. His nightly foot patrols
and overly watchful eyes bring comfort to some,
but he becomes increasingly harassing to the
newlyweds. These persistent intrusions into
their lives causes the couple to fight back.
The Freak's
Rating: B : Long ago I saw Samuel L Jackson
in a piece of cinematic perfection, Pulp Fiction.
Since then I've vowed to see every movie the man
makes, aware that the brilliance of his
portrayal of Jules could return. I'm not
quite ready to call his performance in Lakeview
Terrace brilliant, but it is quite a bit better
than some of his recent outings like Snakes On A
Plane.
Lakeview Terrace is brought to us by director
Neil Labute. Labute brought one of the
sharpest comedies in years, In The Company Of
Men, to the screen. Seeing this made me
bump ITCOM immediately to the top of my Netflix
queue and eagerly await its arrival.
Labute has a good style of direction, one that
keeps your attention. Typical pans and
zooms are replaced with steadycam shots, a nice
change from most of the cinematic style of
today.
Acting in Lakeview Terrace is quite good from
all involved. Patrick Wilson won me over
with his turn in Little Children as well as
alongside Juno's
Ellen Page in Hard Candy.
Wilson is solid as Chris, the husband struggling
between being tough with his neighbor and loving
to his wife. Kerry Washington, a brilliant
actress who had her debut in The Last King Of
Scotland, is also wonderful as Chris' wife Lisa.
Washington and Wilson, as good as they are, are
outshined by Jackson's evil neighbor, Abel
Turner. Jackson has a special brand of
acting where he can come off as your best friend
one moment and terrify you the next. This
combination is perfectly displayed in his turn
as Abel.
Labute has put together a decent suspense
thriller here. Why this film is receiving
so many bad reviews I don't know. Suspense
thrillers all have a formula and all have
clichéd points, but if acting is solid, suspense
is maintained and a nice ending comes together
then the film should be deemed a success.
Lakeview Terrace could have been a great movie
had more thought gone into some of the dialogue
and the ending been a tad more powerful.
As it stands, it is still a decent flick to
catch.
Brian's Rating: D+ : The concept of this movie was interesting, the execution of it was not. Even Samuel L. Jackson cannot save this one although he tries at times. I felt the script was overly written to force confrontation. I also thought the supporting actor and actress that played Jackson's next door neighbor were terrible.
The conclusion, which was utterly ridiculous did not disappoint for the low expectation from the rest of the movie. All in all, this movie was not very good.
