Disturbia
Thursday, 13 Sep 2007 09:09
Shia LaBoeuf has graduated from children’s television to the big screen
Directed by D J Caruso, out September 14th in cinemas, starring Shia LaBoeuf, Sarah Roemer, David Morse, Carrie-Ann Moss, running time 105 minutes .
In a nutshell…
Rear window for Generation Y
What's it all about?
Kale is a pretty ordinary happy teenager until his father dies in unfortunate circumstances. Blaming himself, he retreats emotionally and distances himself from everyone and everything until one day he snaps, attacks his teacher, and lands himself in house arrest.
Suffering from cabin fever, Kale starts taking up the hobby of watching his neighbours with his best friend Ronnie, particularly the hot girl next door, Ashley. However, Kale soon starts to notice strange going-ons in one of his neighbour’s houses, leading him to suspect that he may be a serial killer.
Who's in it?
Dubbed the next big star in Hollywood, Shia LaBoeuf has graduated from children’s television show Even Stevens, and moved on to the big screen. You may have noticed him in quite a few recent films, including Transformers, I Robot, A Guide to Recognising Your Saints and Holes. Rumour is that Steven Spielberg has taken a particular interest in him, especially since he's to take a major role in the upcoming fourth Indiana Jones film. Here, he plays Kale, a stir-crazy, inquisitive teenager who throws himself into the deep end with his antics.
Sarah Roemer, who had a starring role in The Grudge 2, cashes in on her looks here as hot and sassy girl-next-door Ashley, while Carrie-Ann Moss, best known as Trinity from The Matrix trilogy, plays Kale’s slightly frumpy but commanding and attractive mum, Julie. Meanwhile, David Morse, who's also been in Green Mile, Dancer in the Dark and 12 Monkeys, plays the shy but sinister neighbour Mr Turner. Relative newcomer Aaron Yoo also provides the comic relief as Kale’s best friend Ronnie.
As an example…
Ronnie: It reeks in here!
Kale: What’s it smell like?
Ronnie: The corpse of a rotting hottie...
Likelihood of a trip to the Oscars
It’s been generally well received, but it’s not really Oscar material.
What the others say
"No sense kicking this thriller for plot holes and lapses in logic when the action, suspense and flirty sex come at such a lively clip." – Rolling Stone
So is it any good?
If you’re looking for a basic edge-of-your-seat thriller for the autumn, look no further. Awkward, unlikely hero? Check. Hot girl eye-candy? Check. Sidekick for comic relief? Check. Creepy old guy? Check. Lots of shiny new gadgets and gizmos? Double check.
Although it’s hardly groundbreaking in plot, the idea is well executed, especially as the film obviously plays to its stereotypes. Referencing several famous horror movies, particularly Rear Window, The Shining and Silence of the Lambs, some parts are so obvious that you can guess them before they happen.
However, the film still occasionally conjures up the heebie jeebies with its psychological build-up of tension, and the actors certainly carry off the shock and surprise of the plot with gusto.
In a sense though, the movie appeals to the voyeur in all of us. Kale uses escapism to nose into the lives of others as much as we the audience use escapism to nose into his. But that’s about as deep as it gets. It's paint-by-numbers but fairly entertaining stuff.
7/10
Shanshan Dong
"I quite agree with this review. In addition, I think Kale's parents are touching too." - Ann Feng
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