Review of Lakeview Terrace (2008) by Alberto G — 29 Sep 2013

There were several problems with this so-called thriller about a nasty neighbour (Samuel L. Jackson) who bullies and terrorizes the young bi-racial couple (Patrick Wilson and Kerry Washington) that moves in next door. First, it's not really a thriller, despite being marketed that way. There's a lot more talking and over-the-fence arguing than there is actual bullying or terrorizing. As a result, the pace is slow and the tension is mild.

Second, the film tries too hard to explain why Jackson's character Abel Turner is so mean. It becomes more of a psychological character study than a thriller. Turner at various points knows what he's doing is over the top and wrong, but doesn't really seem to struggle with doing it anyway. And top of that, no one seems to be trying to help Turner; everyone just goads him and kicks him when he's down.

Third, there were too many sub-plots. One involved conflict within the marriage of the new neighbours. The second involved an approaching wildfire that might or might not threaten the neighbourhood. Neither of these sub-plots really advanced the main story and they contributed to the slow pacing. We also see Turner at work (he's an LAPD policeman who gets a little rough with suspects), but we don't see Wilson's character (although the deleted scenes show that some scenes of Wison's character at his job were filmed). The job scenes give some back story to the characters, but again, they slow the pace.

The cast performs well, and Jackson is as enjoyable to watch as ever, but in the end the characters' actions just don't feel realistic. It's hard to imagine people behaving that way in the real world, given the circumstances. The film also looks good, with beautiful locations and a bright, summery colour palette.

It was an interesting idea, but in trying to make it a thriller instead of a drama, the film makers lost their way. Which might explain why the film is called Lakeview Terrace, even though the characters live on Lakeview Circle. I think the interesting stuff was happening on Lakeview Terrace, but we never saw it.