Review of Pacific Heights (1990) by Eric J — 15 Mar 2012

"Pacific Heights" is not your typical thriller. It's the only the second time that star MIchael Keaton has ever strayed outside of his comedic comfort zone, but that's only one of the differences here. It's a smart, well-written movie that doesn't rely on a lot of cheap thrills to be successful.

The film is reportedly used in classrooms in California educating prospective apartment managers, and that makes it unique as well. It is character and story driven, and Matthew Modine and Melanie Griffith are so likable and everyday that you feel for their plight. Keaton is the perfect foil, both mysterious and yet oddly rational. It's a captivating combination, and I was hooked right from the opening moments.

Still, under a lesser director, the whole thing would have been for nothing. Acclaimed filmmaker John Schlesinger brings a touch of class to the proceedings and raises the stakes even higher. This is a beautiful looking picture with great cinematography and set designs. Everything that transpires in the film rings true, but you have to wonder. Keaton doesn't pay a dime in rent and shoots his unarmed landlord, but Griffith and Modine only get real help after he steals their bathtub. It makes for an entertaining movie, in any regards.

It's still great fun seeing Griffith use her brains to get back at her former tenant, and that would have made a perfectly satisfying conclusion. But it's obvious that some executive wanted some "Fatal Attraction"-style juice, and the standard slasher finale is just disappointing. "Pacific Heights" is better than that, and it should have stayed truer to form.