Very Good & Intense Thriller

Rating: 8/10 (11 July 2007)

I was lucky enough to have gotten a chance to see this movie tonight at the $1 theater that I always go to on Wednesdays. My sister had wanted to see it because she's a huge fan of Shia LeBeouf and I had wanted to see it because it was a thriller. So were happy to hear that it was playing tonight and I'm so glad I was able to see it in the theater. It was very good. "Disturbia" involves a young man named Kale (Shia LeBeouf) who is in a devastating car accident that claims the life of his father. One year later while in class Kale punches out his Spanish teacher for making a negative comment about his father. Because of his actions he is placed on house arrest for three months. To occupy his time Kale uses his binoculars to spy on the neighbors. One night while looking out he sees his neighbor Mr. Turner (played with creepy finesse by David Morse) driving a car similar to the one that a local kidnapper/murderer drives and carrying a big blue bag with what looks like hair and blood all over it. After seeing that Kale is convinced that Mr. Turner is a serial killer. So Kale and his friend Ronnie (played by Aaron Yoo, who was hilarious) and this girl Ashley, who Kale had also been spying on, follow Mr. Turner and his actions and watch him through the binoculars and with a video camera to see if he is in fact a serial killer.
I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. The only downfall it had, to me, was that it took quite a while to get to the suspense. The first half involved Kale getting to know Ashley and showing us how much he hates being on house arrest and finding things to do. But then the second half is when it started picking up and getting suspenseful. I enjoyed the second half better. This involves Mr. Turner finding out what Kale and his friends are up to and Mr. Turner kidnaps Kale's mother. Kale goes to Mr. Turner's house to find his mother and that's when Mr. Turner chases Kale and tries to kill him. That's when Kale finds out Mr. Turner's (many) secrets hidden within his house.
Shia LeBeouf was great as Kale. His eyes have a certain look about them; like when he is worried or scared you believe it. I thought he was an excellent choice for this role. And it was a very adult role for him too. Even though he is an adult, although a young one, this was a very mature role for him, especially with the mild violence that escalated towards the end. He gave a fine performance.
Aaron Yoo gave some comic relief to his role as Kale's friend Ronnie. Although I did think the comedy and some of the jokes were a little out of place for this film since it was a thriller and I felt that there were more laughs than screams, they were still funny and the whole theater was laughing. But it didn't make me like the movie any less. He was great in his role.
But David Morse was the ultimate creepy villain. Although he was a little underused in this film I felt, since we didn't get to see much of him. But every time he was on screen he was deliciously creepy and you just knew something terrible was going to happen when he showed up. And towards the end, he just kept popping up everywhere where you least expected it. He was an excellent choice for this role.
Overall, I enjoyed this film Disturbia. Sure, it's not one of the greatest movies ever made but it was definitely worth the time. Shia LeBeouf should star in more films like this. This film really showed off his acting abilities. I liked this film. Any fans of the genre should give it a view. The first half is a little slow, but the second half is much better and the most entertaining. Thanks for reading my review!