Review: ‘Lakeview Terrace’

Travis:

Samuel L. Jackson is a natural bad-ass and he convinces me every time that he’s not someone you’d want to mess with. Funny thing is, he’s probably a super nice guy in real life… who knows? He’s done some work that strays slightly from this typecast and some of it I’ve really enjoyed… ‘Red Violin’ and ‘Resurrecting the Champ’ come to mind. He always goes back to those roles that we love, and I think these are the roles he is best suited for. ‘Lakeview Terrace’ is another one of these vehicles that allow for Jackson to say big and bold, without any hesitation… “I’m a bad-ass mother!”

Neil LaBute (Your Friends & Neighbors) directed this new bad cop thriller. Yeah, that’s right… if you’re familiar with that name you probably had that same momentary pause where you think to your self, “are you sure?” It’s true, and while this is a very entertaining film and does have a touch of the socially conscientious undertones that generally accompany, if not dominate, LaBute’s stage plays and films, it doesn’t feel like a true LaBute film. A large part of this is likely due to the fact that LaBute did NOT write this film, and ‘Nurse Betty’ was the last film he directed that he did not write.

Patrick Wilson (Hard Candy) plays Chris Mattson, a Caucasian man with a good job. His wife Lisa, played by Kerry Washington (I Think I Love My Wife), is an African-American woman and daughter to a wealthy father who doesn’t entirely approve of their marriage. The happy couple just moved into their “starter” home and are ready to begin their new lives in Los Angeles. [It’s one heck of a starter home for a single income household.] Almost from day one, Chris senses something of a rift between him and his neighbor Abel Turner (Jackson), an LAPD officer and single father of two children who is, shall I say… difficult to please.

As the days roll by the tension rises as Abel finds one reason after another to prove his theory that Chris and Lisa do not belong next door to him and his children whom he believes he is raising properly. In fact, Abel is perhaps the most frightening father-figure one could imagine having, next to a pervert or something like that. Abel rules his domain with an iron fist and strict authoritarianism. It’s his house and his rules and he’ll be damned if you break his rules, because he is the law. His rules get to be excessive and even too harsh at times and it often feels like he’s using his children as a weapon against his new neighbors.

On the other hand, and this is why Jackson is so good at these kinds of characters, he actually convinces  us on some level that he really is doing what he does out of a true feeling of responsibility to protect his children and raise them to the best of his ability. The underlying complications reside in the fact that Abel has some extremely potent unresolved “issues” with his deceased wife that make it difficult for him to cope in today’s society. Abel actually lives in a reality of his own creation that is somewhat out of time and place with what’s really acceptable by today’s standards. Once again, this is a significant factor in why Abel is such a frightening character… it’s the uncertainty of what he’s capable of and willing to do to reach his ends.

I suppose you’re asking why I’ve spent this entire time talking about Samuel L. Jackson, but the simple answer is that he makes this movie. Wilson and Washington did a fine job, but aside from Jackson’s performance the film has very little substance or originality. ‘Lakeview Terrace’ has been marketed as this battle between good and evil, with a clearly defined good guy and bad guy, but the story doesn’t really play out that way. Both Abel and Chris have their moments and it’s really a story about Abel and his unfortunate disconnect with the world around him. Abel is scared to death with his situation and his only defense is an extremely aggressive offense. While we never really reach a point of feeling empathy for Abel, we do gradually build to a point where we feel a sadness for him, that he’s truly lost and that his fate is inevitable.

‘Lakeview Terrace’ is an enjoyable film with some good suburban-style suspense, lots of tension and even some uncomfortable scenes, but it’s not something I would necessarily rush out to see in the theater… unless you’re a HUGE Samuel L. Jackson fan.

[rating:3.5/5]

Scott:

Samuel L. Jackson will forever scare the crap out of me, and this movie isn’t much different. He plays a cop/single dad living in a nice suburban neighborhood, who is both strict and organized. When he realizes that his new neighbor’s are an interracial couple he takes things into his own hands to make them realize that they are not welcome. Chris (Patrick Wilson) instantly gets this vibe from Abel (Jackson), while it takes Lisa (Kerry Washington) longer to realize it as she just thinks Chris is playing the race card.

The movie itself seems a bit slow, and at times is confusing to see where and what Abel seems to be thinking. Sometimes you think he might be coming around and giving them a chance, and then he goes right back to being an asshole.

This role was made for Samuel L. Jackson because, well, he can play a creepy jackass pretty damn well. I am also really coming around on Patrick Wilson, even though his first role for me was as a pedophile in ‘Hard Candy’. Kerry Washing also does an amazing job as the nice, wholesome wife, while being sexy at the same time.

All in all the movie is enjoyable, but I wouldn’t pick this over ‘Ghost Town’ which also opens today…

[rating:3/5]

Melissa:

Suppose you were walking down a dark alley on a chilly night… You see a figure in front of you… IT’S SAMUEL L. JACKSON..What do you do? If it were me I would probably RUN!!!

Samuel L. Jackson plays Abel Turner, a super strict parent/police officer with some serious anger management issues in the new movie “Lakeview Terrace”. When Chris and Lisa Mattson (Patrick Wilson and Kerry Wahington), a young interracial couple, move into his fancy little neighborhood, trouble stirs. Abel gets irritated by the occasional cigarette butt in his yard, a mask for his disapproval of the couple, and decides to make it known that they are unwelcome in his neighborhood. The couples tires are slashed, a security light is strategically placed to shine directly in their bedroom window, and Abel rats Chris’s secret smoking habit out to his wife. This is only the beginning!

Sidenote… How did a police officer buy that house? Living in a neighborhood like that would cost a fortune!

Without giving too much of the movie away, Abel is one scary neighbor. I don’t think I could sleep with a man like that living in the house next door! If there is one role that Samuel L. Jackson can play well, its intimidating scary guy! He delivers some pretty ridiculous lines that left me either gasping in shock or laughing at how blunt he was.

I actually thought that this movie was more humorous than a thriller. Jackson’s lines and insane behavior had me giggling for a good part of the movie. Don’t get me wrong, he’s still a freaky guy in the film, but its entertainment value (to me) came from the hilarious line delivery!

As for the couple, Kerry Washington is definitely the likable one out of the two. Patrick Wilson has a dry persona that left me confused on whether I should be routing for him or not. There were some parts during the film that I was actually hoping Jackson would slap him.

Overall the movie was entertaining. Certainly not an award winner, but worth a trip to the theaters.

[rating:3/5]