Contemporary Rear Window

Rating: 7/10 (31 December 2012)

"Rear Window" for the 21st century with Shia LeBeouf in the Jimmy Stewart role, here instead of being in traction, under house arrest and forced to occupy his time covertly spying on his neighbours. His hot single mother Carrie-Anne Moss strikes up a budding romance with neighbour David Morse, but LeBeouf is convinced he's been piling up the bodies somewhere in his house.
Aaron Yoo has an hilarious role as LeBeouf's sidekick who accompanies him on an ill-fated inspection of Morse's house, while Sarah Roemer plays the Grace Kelly part as an attractive neighbour with whom LeBeouf becomes smitten.
There's a solid shock climax that was a bit of a surprise, something to elevate the film from a PG status to an R in just a few frames. Without spoiling the surprise, it's worth the wait. As far as remakes go, this one is pretty decent, doesn't stray from the core content, while every character counts in an economically well-paced plot that gains momentum toward a rousing finale. If you had to remake a classic film in contemporary style, this is a reasonable blueprint.