April 20, 2007 Disturbia Rating: PG-13 for sequences of terror and violence, and some sensuality.
It is territory mined masterfully by legendary director Alfred Hitchcock more than 50 years ago in the classic "Rear Window."
Now a tried and true plot is updated with a teen twist.
In "Disturbia, " Kale (Shia Lebeouf) is a normal teenager who suffers the tragic, accidental death of his father.
That sets in motion of series of events in which Kale gets into trouble at school.
Barely escaping jail, Kale is sentenced to three months home confinement.
Boredom eventually sets in, so Kale decides to start spying on his neighbors. The beautiful new girl next door (Sarah Roemer) discovers his habit. But instead of getting mad, she joins the project. Soon, they turn their attention to the mysterious Mr. Turner (David Morse).
Convinced Turner is an elusive serial killer, the teenagers set about finding evidence to take to the police. But Turner discovers their surveillance and a once fun game turns deadly serious.
Directed by D.J. Caruso, "Disturbia" offers a surprisingly good time. LeBeouf is very good in the lead role, graduating from the kid-oriented movies he's done previously to a serious turn in this thriller. Roemer and Aaron Yoo (Ronnie) offer solid support and Morse is superb. His low-key performance actually makes the character of Mr. Turner even scarier.
And Carrie-Anne Moss adds to the mix as Kale's overworked and exasperated mother.
What could have been just another dumbed-down mystery for today's short attention span audiences presents twists and turns you really don't see coming. There are also more than a few chills as our heroes work to thwart the bad guy and save themselves.
Although it is not as good as its 1954 classic inspiration, this film more than holds its own.
On my rating scale, "Disturbia" earns a Triple.
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