What a pleasant surprise! I'm the world's biggest Hitchcock fan, and well past my adolescent years, so I wasn't expecting a lot from a new flick that every critic in America said was "REAR WINDOW with teens." But this film actually works on its own merits, and the chief merit is Shia LaBeouf. I haven't been this impressed with a new talent since I saw Keisha Castle-Hughes in WHALE RIDER, or when I saw 15-year-old Matthew Broderick in the Broadway play, BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS, some 25 years ago. This Shia guy is the real deal, and I have a feeling DISTURBIA will go down in the books as the film that really broke him out to a long, high-profile career.
Older folks, take note: This is not your average "teen thriller," nor is it a simple ripoff of Hitchcock. It is a clever, exciting new entity, expertly directed by D. J. Caruso. And the young lead is a perfect combination of Jimmy Stewart in REAR WINDOW (in the first 75 minutes) and Jodie Foster in SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (in the final 30 minutes), and every bit as good as both of them. Give DISTURBIA a try--I think you'll like it.
Disturbia (Widescreen Edition)It's always exciting to see a new star on the rise. I don't know what IT is, but Shia LaBeouf has IT is spades. I'm a fan of 'Rearview' and think this is a good modern take on the classic. Though I do have to agree that the last third of the film begins to loose major points just in the sheer illogical motives of the killer. If you are going to be a psycho killer-why on earth would you live in the suburbs? Everyone knows everyone's business there...and you mean to tell me that one one would know this man was digging to China in the garage? Given how close all the houses were-no one else heard women screaming from his place? C'mon. If you can force logic to take a vacation during the movie's durance, you can actually have a pretty good time. Overall: worth watching.
"Disturbia" isn't original. It isn't too scary or gory either. What it is, though, is a fun popcorn yarn about a teen named Kale (Shia LeBeouf) who's placed under house arrest for taking out a little internal anguish on a Spanish teacher. His mother (Carrie-Anne Moss) takes away his television, his music and his X-box. What's a bored teen living in suburbia to do to pass the time? Spy on the neighbors, of course. It helps that his newest neighbor, Ashley (Sarah Roemer), is a knockout and takes regularly scheduled swims and rooftop reading breaks. Once he has all of his neighbors' daily lives timed perfectly, he introduces his friend, Ronnie (Aaron Yoo), to his voyeuristic world. The duo gets caught spying on Ashley but she ends up befriending them when they tell her that they believe one particular neighbor, Mr. Turner (the underused David Morse), might be a serial killer from Texas who was never captured.
This sets the film into motion. The three friends try to uncover the truth about their very private neighbor. The only problem is that with each clue they find that might lead to the truth, Turner seems to be one step ahead of them. Things get even crazier when the police think that Kale is crying wolf over everything.
What I really enjoyed about this film is that it's very funny. I'm not talking about it being funny in a sophomoric, slasher movie way, there's some very smart humor here. Director D.J. Caruso keeps the humor spread just thin enough to keep the suspense at an acceptable level. The cast is very likeable. LeBeouf has an ever-present goofiness about him, but when he needs to be afraid or angry, he pulls it off perfectly. Morse is sneaky and sinister at the same time. Whether he's a murderer or not, the guy will creep you out. Moss is solid, but has a very small role to fill. LeBeouf's pals do a good job as well.
The DVD doesn't have much to offer outside of the film that's worth more than one look. There's the standard "Making Of" featurette, outtakes, a forgettable music video, deleted scenes, and a photo gallery. The digital transfer is good, and the audio is nice as well.
Overall, "Disturbia" is a very fun suspense flick. It's not Hitchcock-caliber, but then again, so few films are. If you want Hitchcock, don't watch "Disturbia." If you want a good film to watch for a quiet evening at home, this film's the one for you.
With a starring role in the new Transformers film and a significant role in the upcoming Indiana Jones installment, Shia LaBeouf is being groomed as the next big thing. He made Disturbia just before these blockbusters and this little thriller was a surprise success at the box office as audiences gravitated to what critics rightly labeled Rear Window for the new Millennium.
It's hard to assess LaBeouf's ability as an actor as he's not given much to work with. The script is merely serviceable with thinly-sketched characters and clichéd dialogue. Veteran actor David Morse does the best job with the material as he oozes genial, soft-spoken menace in every scene. He wisely adheres to the less-is-more school of acting. Carrie-Anne Moss gets the thankless role of the mother who has to show her delinquent son some tough love while making friends with the next-door neighbour psycho. Her bland character makes one long for her sexy freedom fighter in The Matrix films.
Like David Lynch's Blue Velvet, Disturbia explores the dark underbelly that exists under the sunny facade of contemporary suburbia with LaBeouf as the amateur detective/voyeur, Morse as the evil psychopath and Sarah Roemer as the wholesome but not too wholesome girl-next-door. This film also evokes Brian De Palma's Body Double, a thriller about voyeurism and murder but unlike both of these films; it doesn't have the content or the style to separate itself from your average thriller.
Director D.J. Caruso tries to keep things interesting visually but he's kept in check by a PG-13 rating, essentially making Rear Window for teens. It's a change from his usual adult fare (Taking Lives and Two for the Money) but not in a good way. Disturbia falls back on tired clichés that we've seen a million times before, like the bad guy who feels the need to explain himself instead of killing off the hero thereby buying just enough time for the protagonist to regain the advantage. That's just sloppy, lazy screenwriting, folks.
There is an audio commentary by director D.J. Caruso and actors Shia LaBeouf and Sarah Roemer. Caruso answers a call from his wife early on to take an order of stuff to pick up afterwards which kinda sets the tone for this track. I mean, c'mon! At least have the forethought to turn off your phone beforehand. It is this lack of commitment which, in turn, makes you not really care about what's being said...which ain't much in all truthfulness. Avoid at all costs.
Also included are four deleted scenes that flesh out Kale's relationship with his mother and builds on the tension that exists between them. The other scene features a bit between Kale and his best friend that was rightly cut.
"The Making of Disturbia" is your pretty standard featurette as the cast and crew gush about one another. Caruso says that he wanted to make a John Cusack romantic comedy mixed with a thriller (?!). He also wanted to explore the nature of voyeurism with the advent of contemporary technology.
"Serial Pursuit Trivia Pop-Up Quiz" allows you to watch the film with a subtitled trivia track which is a nice added feature that helps distract you from what's happening in the film.
There is brief "Outtakes" reel that features some goofy improvisation in the scene where Kale and his dad go fly fishing.
There is a music video for "Don't Make Me Wait" by This World Fair that mixes footage of the band playing with clips from the movie.
Also included is a "Photo Gallery" with promotional stills and behind-the-scenes photographs.
Finally, there is a theatrical trailer. - Suspense Thriller - Shia Labeouf - Disturbia - Suspense'
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