Disturbia by D.J Caruso [2007]

Title: Disturbia
Director: D.J. Caruso
Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Sarah Roemer
Runtime: 105 minutes
Year: 2007
Source: Blockbuster

Disturbia is pure thriller for the first two thirds of the film with only a handful of scenes in the last 20 minutes that slide in safely as horror.

I really enjoyed this for the most part, mostly due to the great casting. If anyone other than Shia LaBeouf had played the lead role, I honestly think the film would of tanked out. That kid just brings everything up a knotch.

It's been pointed out repeatedly that Disturbia is a homage to Hitchcocks Rear Window, but I've yet to see Read Window... so eh? I don't know, seems this movie can hold it's own. Who cares if it's lacking a wee bit of originality. I'm quite certain that a large portion of the audience opening weekend didn't know of the Read Window comparison, or even had heard of most of Hitchcocks films.

The movie gets rolling with Kale [LaBeouf] getting into a horrible car accident, with his father as passenger, and he's the only survivor of the two. We are then zipped ahead a year, only to see that Kale is quite the little rebel and attacks one of his teachers. As punishment, the courts place him on house arrest and limit him to the confines of his house and yard. As his mom cuts his Xbox Live and internet connection, he resorts to spying on the neighbours, particularly one that happens to be beautiful and changes with the blinds open. Before long, his attention is then shifted over to that of a suspicious neighbour driving a vehicle that matches the discription of one used in a recent murder.

The pace of the movie just continues to build and ends up being ten fold better than I initially anticipated. I totally slept on seeing this when it first hit threaters, expecting the worst, I've learnt my lesson.

Recommended.

j.