Shia LeBeouf has arrived!

Rating: 7/10 (20 April 2007)

Here we are in the middle of April, traditionally a dumping ground by studios as they try to make a little extra money before May and the summer bullies suck up all the dollars. Usually the films that come out last a few weeks and then hope for a nice bump once they hit the DVD market. This is Dreamworks foray into the April sweepstakes as they wait just a few more weeks for Shrek the Third to gobble up every single dollar available. Usually April films are weak entries, and while Disturbia is not going to be remembered as one of the greats, it certainly cannot be said that this is a studio dump. Quality wise, cast wise and direction wise, this is a well done thriller with two very attractive leads gracing our screens.
Disturbia is an homage to the Hitchcock film Rear Window, but done for the 14-25 year old age group. Shia LaBouf plays Kale, an angry teenager who has recently lost his dad in a car accident and his anger boils over one day when his Spanish teacher asks him what his dad would think of his insubordination? Kale understandably punches him in the mouth which results in his 90 days of house arrest. His mother, played by Trinity (Carrie Anne Moss), has also cut him off from his X-Box and even cut his TV chord so he is literally left out of the loop. His internet subscription is still good and he has begun to voyeuristic-ally spy on all of his neighbours. He learns of the adultery that goes on across the street, how often people mow the lawn and other small things to alleviate the tedium of his nonexistent life.
And then she moves in. The "she" in this case is the hot girl next door. Her name is Ashley, and played by neophyte Sarah Roemer, she about the hottest thing to hit the screen since Elisha Cuthbert in The Girl Next Door. She swims, she sunbathes and she just looks hot in every pose, every stance and everything she does. Soon, his infatuation gets him caught and she shows up at his door, soaking wet, like The Girl Next Door. From here they develop a friendship that soon escalates into a romance. And soon, they are staking out the quiet and strange neighbour, Mr. Turner, played very well by David Morse. The kids think he might be responsible for the disappearances of some local girls and all the signs point to him.
The strength of the film is the young actors. Besides LaBouf and Roemer, you have Aaron Yoo, who plays Kale's best friend, Ronnie. He is the comic relief for the film as his antics, while somewhat questionable at times, also keeps th audience laughing most of the time. And there is a real chemistry between all three of them. The suspense in the film builds nicely as we watch as some more girls disappear and all the signs point to Turner. The problem is, like Hitchcock's Rear Window, no one believes him, especially since he is under house arrest. His credibility is non existent.
Where the film lacks is in the probability and believability department. I just don't buy the fact that all of this could be happening in suburbia America and no one else would notice that the guy is killing people across the street. There are so many signs pointing to Turner being the killer and even when one of the boys goes missing, no one believes him. In real life, not movie life, the cops would at least search the house for a missing kid. Mothers wouldn't dismiss their son's claims that the man across the street is really the boogie man. Even if your son is under house arrest, his complaints would at least be investigated. Also, the killer is a man who has been killing for what seems to be years, and now all of a sudden starts killing his neighbours? I don't buy that either. This is a meticulous man who has planned everything out flawlessly and now he decides that the best thing to do is kill 4 people who live across the street from him. That wouldn't draw attention to you at all? That complaint aside, Disturbia works because it is suspenseful enough, it has likable characters and the direction by D.J. Caruso is very sharp, quick and he creates a palpable tension. This will never be a classic, but it is a very passable entry into the pg-13 horror genre.
7/10