Shia LaBeouf stars as Kale Hecht in this contemporary take on Rear Window and it’s an enjoyable thriller full of great laughs and some chilling moments.
Struggling to deal with the death of his father, Kale punches a teacher and is put under house arrest for the summer. He is fitted with an electronic ankle bracelet which means he can only go 100 yards from his home before it informs the police he has gone out of bounds. Kale becomes bored very quickly and soon starts spying on his neighbours, which include new girl on the block Ashley (Sarah Roemer). At first, Kale and his best friend Ronnie while away the hours laughing at the neighbours’ lives, but when they turn their attention to Mr. Turner they soon discover that their quiet neighbour is a serial killer…or is he?
The film opens well and LaBeouf makes his character instantly appealing, likeable and sympathetic (which is always a huge plus) and he bounces well off co-star Aaron Yoo which makes the lighter moments genuinely funny. David Morse is excellent here as creepy bastard Turner, which shows real talent when you compare his work here to say his role in The Green Mile.
The film is well written, shot, acted and directed making it a pleasure to watch from start to finish. It does take a little while to build up its characters and the scenario, which was in danger of ruining proceedings but in the end you’re glad it took its time.
OVERALL SUMMARY
Disturbia is perhaps the finest version of Rear Window since the original itself.
