Now here’s something we haven’t seen in awhile, a thriller with the “Fatal Attraction” like formula. “Fatal Attraction” was one of the biggest hits of the 1980’s which showed Michael Douglas having an affair with Glenn Close (I still can’t figure out why he would cheat on Anne Archer) which he later tries to break off, but Glenn is obsessed with seeing this as more than a one night stand. She ends up going ballistic as she infiltrates Michael’s life and almost completely destroys it. Like “Die Hard,” “Fatal Attraction” became a formula of choice for many movies to emulate, and it was a formula that audiences could not get enough of. It more or less brought about movies like “Single White Female” (which will forever put you off of getting a stranger as a roommate), “The Crush” (a crappy and idiotic movie whose only asset is Alicia Silverstone’s pre-vegan hot bod), and “Unlawful Entry” with Ray Liotta, Kurt Russell, and Madeline Stowe. That one was the gender reversal of “Fatal Attraction.”
Soon, that formula was exploited for all it was worth, and we haven’t seen that formula much since the late 80’s or early 90’s. The only other one I can think of was “Swimfan” (which I have not seen but looks like crap) with Erika Christensen and Jesse Bradford who has a fling with Erika’s character, and you know the rest. Now we have “Lakeview Terrace” which is kind of a combination between “Unlawful Entry” and “Pacific Heights” with a tiny bit of “Training Day” put in. The movie is indeed formulaic, but it’s also a lot better than I expected it to be. This is probably because both writer David Loughery and director Neil LaBute take more chances and are not afraid of taking of getting under your skin with touchy topics like racism and interracial marriage.
The movie stars Samuel L. Jackson in one of the best performances I have seen from him in a while as Abel Turner, an officer of the LAPD and a widower who is raising his son and daughter on his own in this seemingly peaceful suburb. Before he knows it, the house next to him is being invaded by the new neighbors. Abel thinks that the new neighbors are a black couple, and that the white guy is actually the mover, But as he continues to spy on these three people, he soon comes to see that the two black people are not a couple, and this is made all the more clearer when the white guy ends up kissing the black girl. Sam does this whole scene of observation without saying a word, but we can clearly see how he feels about what is going on right next door to his house. It’s another reminder of what a great actor Samuel L. Jackson can be, and he is perfectly cast in this role.
Okay, now I want to stop saying white guy and black woman, so let’s look at these people as individuals, shall we? Patrick Wilson (“Little Children”) plays Chris Mattson who has recently started work at a supermarket chain as a manager, and Kerry Washington plays his wife Lisa. They are very much in love, and they are ecstatic at the fact that they are now something they have always wanted to be, homeowners. Abel ends up welcoming Chris to the neighborhood by pretending to rob him at gunpoint while he sits in his car. From then on, Abel begins to mess with Chris ever so subtly and he clearly gets off on it. Abel makes light of the fact that Chris is playing rap music by saying:
“In the morning, you’ll still be white.”
Ouch.
After that, the blissful situation this couple thinks they have turns into a nightmare. Abel’s security lights are ever so bright and shine right into their bedroom, the wires to their air conditioning system are cut, and the tires to their Prius get slashed. Some of these things happen before Abel’s kids find the happy couple making out in their pool. It is clear from the get go that Abel has a very serious problem with this interracial marriage, and he doesn’t so much say this as he implies it at any given opportunity. The impact it has on this couple is severe as they go through problems of their own. Lisa is eager to start a family, but Chris wants to wait, maybe forever. Chris doesn’t say this of course, but we can sense what is being said without being said.
This is perfect material for Neil LaBute to play around with. Neil started as a playwright and his work deals with the subjects that are easily considered politically incorrect. Subjects that are taboo like racism, abortion, and issues of sexuality are Neil’s pathway into the human mind and what it is capable of. He later graduated to being a filmmaker with “In The Company Of Men” which was as critically acclaimed as it was controversial as it dealt with two men who seduce a deaf woman and then cruelly dump her in some vain attempt to prove to themselves that are superior to women. With “Lakeview Terrace,” he continues to mine the uncomfortable territory that we seek to escape, and he succeeds in creating an unsettling feeling in a formulaic thriller.
“Lakeview Terrace” doesn’t break any new ground, and by the last half, we have a good idea of how everything is gonna end. But it gives us some interesting characters that are for the most part grounded in reality. The relationship between Chris and Lisa becomes more and more complicated as Abel prods at them even more and exposes secrets that Chris tries to keep away from her like his smoking. We also get a good dose of tension between Chris and Lisa’s father who cannot help but ask Chris if he plans to have children with his daughter. It is a union that threatens to be torn apart by the prejudices of others, but they both keep trying to rise above it as if it shouldn’t be an issue. But while it really shouldn’t be, that doesn’t matter to others who are under the control of their fears more than they realize.
There are strong performances from Patrick Wilson who tries to handle the situation with Abel as much as he can before he finally loses it. The moment where he gets his revenge by putting up floodlights that shine into Abel’s bedroom is hilarious, but the laughs end up sticking in your throat, and you wonder why you are really laughing. You can’t help but wonder what it really says about you as a person. “Lakeview Terrace,” while being a typical thriller, challenges you to get out of your comfort zone and to see how we can be so blind to the prejudices that are so much a part of us, and when we finally recognize them, it is too late to undo the damage they cause.
Kerry Washington is also great here as Lisa, Chris’ wife who in many ways has a bigger set of cojones than her husband could ever muster. She is prepared to face challenges than her husband would, but that doesn’t make her any less afraid of Abel. I kept waiting for her to head over his house when he ends up having a bachelor party for one of his fellow policemen and tell his ass off. That would have been a great scene.
The movie belongs to Samuel L. Jackson who gives us a character who we never doubt cares about his kids, maybe even more than he should. With the role of Abel Turner, he gives us one of the more intensely scary characters that he has not given us for some time now. While the last half of the movie does take away from the dimensions he gives the character, Jackson is never short of a riveting presence whenever he is on screen. The moment he has with a suspect who took a shot at him is one of the more scarier and intense moments that I have seen in a movie this year. I don’t know of many other actors out there who can give a “don’t mess with me” look better than Jackson does. This reminds you of why he is still a very much in demand actor after all these years.
The ending of the movie in some ways is a little too convenient in the way it wraps up the story, but it doesn’t completely sell out the movie the way the ending of “The Brave One” did. It takes a familiar formula and keeps you on the edge of your seat more than most films of this type do today. I admired the filmmakers and the actors for not being afraid to push the boundaries of certain issues with this movie because it really gets you thinking a lot about what’s happened after you leave the theater.
I completely forgot that this movie has a PG-13 rating while I was watching it. “Lakeview Terrace” really pushes that rating to the max, and it really should have been rated R consider how mature the material is. Then again, we have come to expect ridiculous from our conservative friends at the MPAA. It’s crazy what people can get away with these days.
“Lakeview Terrace” is far from original, but I still liked it more than I thought I would, and I have no problem giving it a solid recommendation. It is kind of sad though, to see after all these years after the riots sparked by the Rodney King verdicts that we cannot simply all get along. I am always open to people proving to me that we can though.
***1/2 out of ****
Soon, that formula was exploited for all it was worth, and we haven’t seen that formula much since the late 80’s or early 90’s. The only other one I can think of was “Swimfan” (which I have not seen but looks like crap) with Erika Christensen and Jesse Bradford who has a fling with Erika’s character, and you know the rest. Now we have “Lakeview Terrace” which is kind of a combination between “Unlawful Entry” and “Pacific Heights” with a tiny bit of “Training Day” put in. The movie is indeed formulaic, but it’s also a lot better than I expected it to be. This is probably because both writer David Loughery and director Neil LaBute take more chances and are not afraid of taking of getting under your skin with touchy topics like racism and interracial marriage.
The movie stars Samuel L. Jackson in one of the best performances I have seen from him in a while as Abel Turner, an officer of the LAPD and a widower who is raising his son and daughter on his own in this seemingly peaceful suburb. Before he knows it, the house next to him is being invaded by the new neighbors. Abel thinks that the new neighbors are a black couple, and that the white guy is actually the mover, But as he continues to spy on these three people, he soon comes to see that the two black people are not a couple, and this is made all the more clearer when the white guy ends up kissing the black girl. Sam does this whole scene of observation without saying a word, but we can clearly see how he feels about what is going on right next door to his house. It’s another reminder of what a great actor Samuel L. Jackson can be, and he is perfectly cast in this role.
Okay, now I want to stop saying white guy and black woman, so let’s look at these people as individuals, shall we? Patrick Wilson (“Little Children”) plays Chris Mattson who has recently started work at a supermarket chain as a manager, and Kerry Washington plays his wife Lisa. They are very much in love, and they are ecstatic at the fact that they are now something they have always wanted to be, homeowners. Abel ends up welcoming Chris to the neighborhood by pretending to rob him at gunpoint while he sits in his car. From then on, Abel begins to mess with Chris ever so subtly and he clearly gets off on it. Abel makes light of the fact that Chris is playing rap music by saying:
“In the morning, you’ll still be white.”
Ouch.
After that, the blissful situation this couple thinks they have turns into a nightmare. Abel’s security lights are ever so bright and shine right into their bedroom, the wires to their air conditioning system are cut, and the tires to their Prius get slashed. Some of these things happen before Abel’s kids find the happy couple making out in their pool. It is clear from the get go that Abel has a very serious problem with this interracial marriage, and he doesn’t so much say this as he implies it at any given opportunity. The impact it has on this couple is severe as they go through problems of their own. Lisa is eager to start a family, but Chris wants to wait, maybe forever. Chris doesn’t say this of course, but we can sense what is being said without being said.
This is perfect material for Neil LaBute to play around with. Neil started as a playwright and his work deals with the subjects that are easily considered politically incorrect. Subjects that are taboo like racism, abortion, and issues of sexuality are Neil’s pathway into the human mind and what it is capable of. He later graduated to being a filmmaker with “In The Company Of Men” which was as critically acclaimed as it was controversial as it dealt with two men who seduce a deaf woman and then cruelly dump her in some vain attempt to prove to themselves that are superior to women. With “Lakeview Terrace,” he continues to mine the uncomfortable territory that we seek to escape, and he succeeds in creating an unsettling feeling in a formulaic thriller.
“Lakeview Terrace” doesn’t break any new ground, and by the last half, we have a good idea of how everything is gonna end. But it gives us some interesting characters that are for the most part grounded in reality. The relationship between Chris and Lisa becomes more and more complicated as Abel prods at them even more and exposes secrets that Chris tries to keep away from her like his smoking. We also get a good dose of tension between Chris and Lisa’s father who cannot help but ask Chris if he plans to have children with his daughter. It is a union that threatens to be torn apart by the prejudices of others, but they both keep trying to rise above it as if it shouldn’t be an issue. But while it really shouldn’t be, that doesn’t matter to others who are under the control of their fears more than they realize.
There are strong performances from Patrick Wilson who tries to handle the situation with Abel as much as he can before he finally loses it. The moment where he gets his revenge by putting up floodlights that shine into Abel’s bedroom is hilarious, but the laughs end up sticking in your throat, and you wonder why you are really laughing. You can’t help but wonder what it really says about you as a person. “Lakeview Terrace,” while being a typical thriller, challenges you to get out of your comfort zone and to see how we can be so blind to the prejudices that are so much a part of us, and when we finally recognize them, it is too late to undo the damage they cause.
Kerry Washington is also great here as Lisa, Chris’ wife who in many ways has a bigger set of cojones than her husband could ever muster. She is prepared to face challenges than her husband would, but that doesn’t make her any less afraid of Abel. I kept waiting for her to head over his house when he ends up having a bachelor party for one of his fellow policemen and tell his ass off. That would have been a great scene.
The movie belongs to Samuel L. Jackson who gives us a character who we never doubt cares about his kids, maybe even more than he should. With the role of Abel Turner, he gives us one of the more intensely scary characters that he has not given us for some time now. While the last half of the movie does take away from the dimensions he gives the character, Jackson is never short of a riveting presence whenever he is on screen. The moment he has with a suspect who took a shot at him is one of the more scarier and intense moments that I have seen in a movie this year. I don’t know of many other actors out there who can give a “don’t mess with me” look better than Jackson does. This reminds you of why he is still a very much in demand actor after all these years.
The ending of the movie in some ways is a little too convenient in the way it wraps up the story, but it doesn’t completely sell out the movie the way the ending of “The Brave One” did. It takes a familiar formula and keeps you on the edge of your seat more than most films of this type do today. I admired the filmmakers and the actors for not being afraid to push the boundaries of certain issues with this movie because it really gets you thinking a lot about what’s happened after you leave the theater.
I completely forgot that this movie has a PG-13 rating while I was watching it. “Lakeview Terrace” really pushes that rating to the max, and it really should have been rated R consider how mature the material is. Then again, we have come to expect ridiculous from our conservative friends at the MPAA. It’s crazy what people can get away with these days.
“Lakeview Terrace” is far from original, but I still liked it more than I thought I would, and I have no problem giving it a solid recommendation. It is kind of sad though, to see after all these years after the riots sparked by the Rodney King verdicts that we cannot simply all get along. I am always open to people proving to me that we can though.
***1/2 out of ****
