Review of Lakeview Terrace (2008) by Tony E — 24 Nov 2009

The misleading trailer strikes again! I finally sat down to watch this movie expecting a total cheesefest full of Samuel L. Jackson "crazy badass moments". Lo and behold, I actually got a smart slow-building thriller that managed to pull off some sympathetic scenes for Jackson and also didn't shy from showing its heroes' flaws.

Now, Jackson's character is a total dick -- no doubt about it. It's just that the preview gives you the idea that this is going to be a non-stop all-out war between a naive yuppie couple and a corrupt cop. "Lakeview Terrace" is certainly about the escalating conflict between neighbors, but more importantly, it's also about three people individually falling apart just as they push each other's buttons. Patrick Wilson and Kerry Washington aren't just dealing with an increasingly obnoxious neighbor; they are dealing with what seems to be the first major crisis in their marriage. And Jackson is playing a racist forced to deal with his inner demons, with an interracial relationship right next door slowly bringing out the worst in him.

I kept expecting the plot to make me roll my eyes sooner or later. All the elements for a total failure are there. And it never happened. It turned out to be a damn good movie.

Bonus coolness: Shepherd Book as a racist father-in-law.