by rick grant rickgrant01@comcast.net
B- Rated PG-13
This film harkens back to other voyeur scenarios like Rear Window or Body Double, but is youth-oriented, starring twenty year-old actor, Shia LaBeouf as Kale – A normal kid who, in a moment of anger, punched his teacher–a serious offence. But, a sympathetic judge sentences Kale to six months of house arrest wearing a GPS ankle bracelet. The judge took into consideration that the teacher insulted Kale’s recently deceased father.
Kale’s mom, Julie (Carrie-Anne Moss), is definitely on his case and takes away his TV privileges, leaving Kale bored out of his skull. He has his nutty Asian friend, Ronnie (Aaron Yoo), come over to plan his escape, or at least break up the monotony of not leaving the house. Soon, Kale and his friend get into watching a new neighbor with a beautiful daughter named Ashley.
Through binoculars, the sex-crazed voyeurs see Ashley in her bedroom window undressing and swimming in the pool in her bikini. Hey, it’s better than TV. Suddenly, Ashley pays the boys a visit. She has known all along they were watching her and she has been getting off on the attention. She joins their spying club, watching their weird neighbor, Mr. Turner (Robert Morse). Kale has seen him doing strange things such as dragging a big plastic bag (which looked like a body) into his garage. Then Kale and the gang see him bring home a date who ends up running from the house. Of course, Kale and Ronnie’s imaginations run wild and soon they have pegged him as a serial killer.
When Kale’s mom starts getting chummy with Mr. Turner, Kale freaks out. He’s got to find out what’s going on, so he sends Ronnie on a mission to break into his garage and find out what’s in the plastic bag. The caper goes terribly wrong and Kale breaks his perimeter to save Ronnie. This episode ends when the police bust him for breaking and entering. The police find a dead deer in the bag and Mr. Turner decides not to press charges. Now the cadre of spies are in real trouble.
Although predictable and derivative, Shia LaBeouf upgrades the film with his lively acting style and natural sense of humor. The hook is, of course, Mr. Turner really is a serial killer–worse than anyone ever imagined – and the boys are in real danger. They can’t expect the police to help them since the last fiasco. There is a cop who has become suspicious of Mr. Turner, but he has no reason to get a warrant to search Turner’s house.
Director, D.J. Caruso created fast-paced action that builds momentum to the big finale, which degenerates into the realm of the slasher-gore genre. However, the performances by the stellar cast overcome any flaws and the movie is at least entertaining, if viewers ignore the obvious holes in the script. It’s plausible that Kale could get himself in such a mess considering his propensity for screwing up.
David Morse plays Mr. Turner with stand-out acting skill. Morse’s layered performance is very convincing and by the end of the movie his true colors as a twisted serial killer are revealed. Viewers know from the beginning that Mr. Turner is what he appears to be, a killer. There is no red herring or other plot devices to send the viewer’s conclusions astray.
Still, for what it is– a derivative thriller/horror vehicle – it delivers entertaining action. Kale figures out how far he can go in his periphery so as not to set off his ankle bracelet which gives him a bit more freedom, Aaron Yoo gets laughs as another standout character in this exceptional cast, which is far better than the script.
Shia LaBeouf is being groomed to be a leading man with high profile roles that give him maximum exposure. His portrayal of Bobby Jones in an indie film nobody viewed impressed filmdom’s key players. Newcomer Sarah Roemer as Ashley is another up-and-comer. She’s beautiful, sexy, and a talented actress. She should go far in Hollywood.
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