Red Herrings and David Morse...what more could you ask for?

Rating: 7/10 (19 August 2007)

Troubled high school kid Kale(Shia LaBeouf,spelling?),already struggling with his father's death in accident that he survived and unable to connect to his equally agrieved mother(Carrie Anne Moss,probably the best looking mom on THAT block),then clocks his Spanish teacher and it lands him under arrest when the teacher presses charges. The condition of the arrest has him under house arrest,and his punishment becomes a fight with boredom. That fight becomes a practice in mostly harmless voyeurism that nets him two things: the improbable interest of the attractive new girl on the block(Sarah Roemer) and the realization that one of his other neighbors(David Morse)may be in fact a brutal serial killer. To anyone who has seen "Rear Window"(or any other knock-off of Alfred Hitchcock movies will tell you),you kind of know where this story is going next.
This show is,as per any Hitchcockian-type movie,possessing of no fewer than four "Red Herings"(things that are thrown into a film to throw the viewer off the trail of what really is happening,who is doing what,or even misdirect as to the true source of menace)where KAle,Ashley(the girl) and doofy friend Ronnie(Aaron Yoo)find themselves tripping over to expose the true intentions of the otherwise quiet,reserved and perceivably friendly killer. If you can look past some of the implausibilities of the movie--examples being: how does a simple class three assault of a teacher amount to a house arrest with the potential for a felony upgrade or how a newly relocated would-be serial killer have the foresight and house space to relocate every single shred of evidence of their crimes?--and stay interested in the inevitabilities of the boy and girl getting together,it's quite possible(As it was for I)that you'll find this movie quite enthralling and even nerve-rattling. Director D.J.Caruso is able to effectively use space,movement and lots(and lots)of camera screens to enhance the visuals of this film,which is constricted to almost entirely the P.O.V. of the hero,Kale. Also,Morse as the would-be-scoundrel is VERY effective in a cool,calm,almost charming "guy next door",countering and blunting just about every attempt Kale has of exposing him of who he really suspect him to be.
A good,solid,satisfying rent that won't make anybody's "Best of..." lists,if you can look past some rather pedestrian touches,you'll be drawn into to finding out just what is going on in this neighborhood.