Disturbia (2007)

Director: D.J. Caruso

Cast: Shia LaBeouf as Kale, Sarah Roemer as Ashley, Carrie-Anne Moss as Julie, David Morse as Mr. Turner, Aaron Yoo as Ronnie, Jose Pablo Cantillo as Officer Gutierrez, Matt Craven as Daniel Brecht, Viola Davis as Detective Parker, Brandon Caruso as Greenwood Boy, Luciano Rauso as Greenwood Boy, Daniel Caruso as Greenwood Boy, Kevin Quinn as Mr. Carlson, Elyse Mirto as Mrs. Carlson, Suzanne Rico as News Anchor, Kent Shocknek as News Anchor

I understand that the new movie Disturbia is about a person who is
unable to leave his room and must look out the window for
entertainment. During his peeping sessions, he finds that his neighbor
might be a killer and by doing so, tries to get everyone around him to
help find out the truth. That premise, and that premise alone, is the
ONLY thing that likens this movie to Alfred Hitchcock's masterpiece of
tension and technical genius, Rear Window. Director D.J. Caruso has
taken this script, no credit listed to the writers of that classic, and
created a contemporary world around which he can create a cat and mouse
chase from the small radius that our protagonist is allowed to travel
within having a house arrest anklet affixed to his leg. If the critics
are to be believed that this is a ripoff/remake, then every romantic
comedy coming down the pipeline is one as well. Boy meets girl, boy
must win girl, conflict causes relationship to stay strained, boy
ultimately wins girl. Actually since every rom-com follows that exact
plot sketch, they are more derivative than Disturbia to Rear Window
because Caruso takes a premise, updates it, and makes it his own.

Worried that this might end up as another lame duck attempt from the
director, I didn't have too lofty of expectations. I am a fan of Shia
LaBeouf, ever since his "Even Stevens" days, and knew he could give it
credibility. Fortunately, after the highly disappointing Taking Lives
and the ho-hum Two for the Money, it seems Caruso has come back to the
form he had with his brilliant debut Salton Sea. Maybe it was the
recent work on "The Shield," but we have some nice grit, close-up
composition, and stylish camera-work. The realism from Sea is back and
Disturbia brings it all to make one of the most entertaining films I've
seen this year. We have fantastic humor—LaBeouf's delivery and everyman
rapport lends to this well—as well as effective scares and edge of your
seat suspense. This is a PG-13 movie that knows what it is and rather
than titillate with coming as close to the line as possible, stays in
check and deals out a healthy dose of mood and emotion rather than
blood and sex. I'd even go as far as saying Sarah Roemer's
girl-next-door is the most sensual role this year. It is all about her
confidence and eyes, her body language makes it work, and you fall for
her just as LaBeouf does, whereas the usual R-rated nudity and over the
top craziness has been going so far as to numb audiences by doing what
every film now does. Credit Caruso for showing restraint for everything
and leading us along by uncovering pieces of the story only when we
need to know them.

Besides LaBeouf, Roemer, and a funny turn from Aaron Yoo, the main
driving force here is David Morse. This gem of a character actor is at
the top of his game as the villainous, did he or didn't he,
neighborhood serial killer. He is good as the conflicted heavy who does
wrong only when the world around him has forced him to, (like in Dancer
in the Dark and Down in the Valley), but he is perfect as the all out
creepy, sly-smiling force being accused of kidnapping and killing
numerous women. Morse was allowed to run free and he took the
opportunity and went even further with it. Where many suspense films
like this would become laughable eventually, the realism brought out
through LaBeouf and Morse keep the audience enthralled and interested
in how everything will play out. I was never bored and at times
actually wondering what would happen next because I was so caught up.
When the climax comes, I actually was surprised thinking it was crazy
that they would get us there so early, but I was just so into it that I
didn't realize how much time had past.

Disturbia is a genre film and won't be winning any awards any time
soon. What it may lack in total originality it more than makes up for
in mood and effective thrills. It had everything you could want from a
movie without making you have to think too much. Sit down, go for the
ride and walk out of the theatre with the knowledge that your time was
well spent. D.J. Caruso, thank you for redeeming yourself.