'Disturbia' demonstrates classic thriller tradition
By Taryn Lentes, Staff Writer
May 8, 2007 | 2:29 p.m.
Too often, filmmakers stray from the essential factors of a good movie to appear innovative. Conversely, "Disturbia" may not break the mold of the thriller genre, but it does include a solid plot, good direction and a convincing, likeable cast.
"Disturbia" has drawn a lot of comparisons to the Hitchcock classic "Rear Window," which featured Jimmy Stewart as a man confined to his home with a broken leg, consequently turning to spying on his neighbors. Although the connection is not credited, the "Rear Window" inspiration is very obvious. In this updated version, Kale (Shia LaBeouf) is trapped not by a broken leg, but by a house arrest ankle bracelet he earned for punching his Spanish teacher when the man made a tasteless quip about Kale’s dead father.
The sullen, anti-authority teenager -- even one plagued by serious demons and guilt -- is hardly a revolutionary character profile. However, LaBeouf has the acting ability to give Kale an earnest believability that makes it nearly impossible to fault the character for any shortcomings.
Kale is not only confined to his home for three months, but also deprived of video games, iTunes and various other supposedly necessary teenage trappings. Therefore, boredom sets in predictably quick. Forced into isolation, Kale turns to the world outside his windows for the entertainment he is so desperately lacking. In window No. 1 is a neighbor having an affair. Window No. 2 offers up the shapely blonde girl who just moved in, and window No. 3 reveals the man who lives alone and whose most noticeable trait appears to be his tendency to over-mow his lawn.
Kale uses his eyes, a pair of binoculars and, of course, his digital camcorder to keep tabs on those around him until he begins to grow suspicious about lawn-mowing guy’s after-hours activities. This particular neighbor, Mr. Turner (David Morse) starts to seem a little suspicious to Kale’s claustrophobic, paranoid mind. What happened to the red-head woman Kale saw go into Turner’s house but not leave? And didn’t that missing person report he saw on TV the other day mention the exact type of car Turner owns?
Kale sets up his amateur stakeout operation aided by his best friend Ronnie (Aaron Yoo) and Ashley (Sarah Roemer), the blonde from next door. Together, the three continue the window surveillance, as well as follow Turner and attempt to break into his garage.
There are numerous occasions within "Disturbia" when the filmmakers could have thrown in a few outlandish plot twists or a bit more gore to get the audience's attention. Instead, they showed an admirable amount of restraint by allowing the story to unfold at its own pace without imposing unnecessary "Got ya!" moments. This isn’t to say the movie is boring -- it is far from it. The point is that "Disturbia," while not exactly groundbreaking, instead follows the tradition of great thrillers by populating the story with believable characters and paranoia, letting the audience experience the freaky occurrences through coherent, yet disturbing plot progression.
"Disturbia" is certainly not a film that can be seriously compared to the Hitchcock films it emulates. It is a movie populated by teens, and it shows. The first half of the movie is as much about angst and human interactions as it is about murders. The ending could just as easily belong to a teen movie of any genre. However, the movie offers plenty of edge-of-your-seat thrills without sacrificing plot, dialogue or characters, and that alone makes "Disturbia" worth seeing.
The added bonus is the not-so-subtle observation about our technology-driven, anti-privacy culture. "Why would he want his privacy?" Kale asks incredulously at one point.
"Disturbia" definitely has one thing right: whether it’s the harmless kid next door or a certified psycho, someone is always watching.
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Speakeasy rating: B+
Running time:1 hour, 44 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13 for sequences of terror and violence, and some sensuality
Genre: Thriller, Teen