REVISED SCORE…. I don’t do this very often, but in the 24 hours since writing this review, I have to revise my rating slightly… down a notch to 6.5… because as good as the acting was and the story was in the first 3/4 of the movie… the last 1/4 became predictable.. and all the tension and suspense that was built up in the first 3/4 of the movie all goes away as the scenes become predictable.

So I still say “SEE IT”, but I have to say its really just a 6.5 out of 10.

If you thought you had a wierd relationship with your neighbor, think again…. Samuel L. Jackson is the neighbor from HELL in this Thriller…

Its too bad that “Unthinkable” quickly pulled out of production in Grand Rapids and will soon be filming in Los Angeles, because we could have had Jackson in another intense role where he blurs the line between good and bad…. and he’s good at being bad in this latest movie “Lakeview Terrace”…

“Lakeview Terrace”

(2008) (rated PG-13 for intense thematic material, violence, sexuality, language and some drug references) (1 hr, 50 min)

Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Patrick Wilson, Kerry Washington, Ron Glass, Justin Chambers, Jay Hernandez

Genre: Drama/Thriller/Police

The Plot: An LAPD officer (Jackson) will stop at nothing to force out the interracial couple who just moved in next door.

MY TAKE (spoiler free):

Samuel L. Jackson is crazy… well, his character is… and its a good thing… as the movie “Lakeview Terrace” turns the issue of racism on its ear… and then yanks on it!!!
While this could have been awkward… the issue of an interracial relationship is the crux of this story and the way it is perceived… and the way Jackson’s character responds… is the central theme.

This storyline is a bold and risky move by the filmmakers, but I think it pays off… putting the audience through quite an emotional rollercoaster… it puts you right in the middle of it all… going through the “what if” scenario… as in “what if my neighbor was crazy like that”.

Jackson isn’t just the “bad guy”… he’s a troubled guy who is crazy… but crazy because of some issues that are cooking and then boil to the surface towards the end… as there’s always something going on there in his shiny bald head. So this role as “Abel Turner” is a little more complex of a bad guy character than “Roland” in “Jumper”… but nothing on the level of some of his most famous roles.

THE BOTTOM LINE (possible spoilers here):

“Lakeview Terrace” is an intense neighbor-versus-neighbor thriller that never really drags… and you never really know what Samuel L. Jackson will do next.. or get away with as he antagonzies the couple living next door… I give it 6.5 out of 10… it was good but in some places, felt a little off and over the top… all in all the acting is good and character development is there, the scenery is good and I have no complaints about the photography or editing… the ending was slightly predictable.

SO WHAT DID YOU THINK? PLEASE POST A COMMENT?

“Lakeview Terrace” poster courtesy Screen Gems

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