Drive Angry

Director: Patrick Lussier
Starring: Nicholas Cage, Amber Heard, William Fichtner, Katy Mixon, David Morse, Billy Burke, Charlotte Ross, Tom Atkins
Running Time: 105 min.
Rating: R

★★★ (out of ★★★★)

It must be nice being Nicolas Cage. Getting paid millions of dollars to star in any mindless action movie of your choosing with crazy hair opposite women half your age isn't such a bad deal. Regardless of whether you call it Drive Angry, Drive Angry 3D, or Tarantino's missing third feature from Grindhouse, the actor's latest is more Nic Cage being Nic Cage. But at least say this for him: He always "sells out" in an entertaining and hilarious way, crafting an insane onscreen persona that works for him. No matter how awful his choices in material sometimes are, even his worst performances are still strangely fascinating. Against your better judgment, you find you just can't turn away and anxiously anticipate what crazy thing he'll do next. I can get on board when the filmmakers at least extend us the courtesy of going along with the joke. Patrick Lussier's Crank-style homage joins the actor's recent Kick-Ass and Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans in really "getting it." And if you like scuzzy, violent B-level grindhouse flicks doubling as gothic horror action-comedies, then this is your thing. You also get performances better than you'd think a movie of this ilk deserves, which makes sense looking at the credits. With actors like crazy Cage, Amber Heard, David Morse and an incomparable William Fichtner sharing the screen together, I'm wondering whether it even stood a chance of not working despite how ridiculous it all is.

Cage plays John Milton, a lone drifter and felon who saves a hot, young waitress named Piper (Heard) from her abusive boyfriend, taking her along on his manhunt to track down Satantic cult leader Jonah King (Billy Burke). He's in possession of Milton's granddaughter and is planning to offer her up as a sacrifice unless he can somehow find a way to stop him. Following Milton is a mysterious stranger with paranormal powers known as The Accountant (Fichtner) who clearly wants something from him, even though we're not exactly sure what right away or even whose side he's on. All we know is that he's creepy, hilarious and comes armed with plenty of sarcastic one-liners, which is more than enough since he's easily the best thing in the film and deserving of a sequel of his own. The plot ends up being even more over-the-top and silly than could have been expected from the honest previews and just gets even sillier once all the crazy details of Milton's bizarre situation start to surface. That info starts clarifying things a little, but it's not like that makes much of a difference since the balls-to-the-wall action scenes carry the most interest, and a lot of them are real keepers, namely Milton shooting at intruders while he's busy getting it on with a waitress. We also get to watch what must be the most fatalistic gun shot to not kill anybody, even though we know exactly why not.

For better or worse, you get what you pay for each time out with Cage regardless of the trashy material he often onto and this is no exception, except for the fact that it knows how ludicrous it is. As usual Cage is just having a silly, dumb time imitating himself imitating Clint Eastwood and not taking anything seriously, which in this case works perfectly fine. We get to see him shoot people, listen to him talk in his goofy Cage voice and have a good laugh at his latest hair disaster so all is well. The always busy Amber Heard, whose star continues to burn brighter with each performance, stretches to play trailer trash perfectly while surprisingly never falling into the thankless love interest trap. She's as much an ass-kicker as he is, which should come as a relief for anyone who thought she was only cast so Cage could add to his laundry list of age inappropriate female co-stars. Billy Burke gets the job done as the crazed Koresh-like cult leader (even if he more closely resembles Rick Springfield) but the film belongs to well-traveled character actor William Fichtner, who gets a chance to show those unfamiliar with his work what they've been missing and blows Cage off the screen. Best known on the big screen as the bank manager who stands up to Heath Ledger's Joker in The Dark Knight and on the small screen with appearances on Invasion, Prison Break and Entourage, this is the first time he's really been cut loose in a senseless big budget action movie. And of course Fichtner makes the most maniacal thing about his maniac character the fact that he doesn't act maniacal at all. Few can play cool, calm and creepy better, and not nearly with as much dry wit. The entire movie ends up being a well-deserved showcase for him, as he approaches scene-stealing levels of eccentricity that should make Christopher Walken proud.  Unfortunately, David Morse isn't given nearly as much to do as a grizzled mechanic and must slog through a role so insignificant there isn't even much an actor of his talents can do with it. 

It's easy to see why this died a quick death at the box office since it's only getting more difficult to convince moviegoers to spend their money watching Cage mock himself again, especially in 3D where the stakes for mind-blowing entertainment are raised. But like last year's Piranha remake this is the kind of cheesy, B-level grindhouse movie that feels defensible for that format. Still, even only at 105 minutes, the plot stretches thin, so it comes as somewhat of a relief that it's an unimportant element. This makes it the perfect rental or guilty pleasure purchase if you're in the mood for movie junk food, or just feel like rewarding yourself for avoiding the shattered expectations that would have likely accompanied a theatrical viewing. At home those expectations are hovering at a more manageable level and the performances of Fichtner and Heard alone should be enough to seal the deal for anyone straddling the fence about checking it out. Thankfully recalling well-made, fun garbage like Con-Air rather than The Wicker Man, Next or Bangkok Dangerous, Drive Angry not only knows it's supposed to be a bad Nic Cage movie, but proudly wears that badge on its sleeve, making no apologies for reveling in its own awesome awfulness.

Passengers

Director: Rodrigo Garcia
Starring: Anne Hathaway, Patrick Wilson, Andre Braugher, Clea DuVall, David Morse, Dianne Wiest, William B. Davis
Running Time: 93 min.
Rating: PG-13

★★★ (out of ★★★★)

Passengers is a deeply misunderstood movie. Misunderstood by nearly all critics and audiences who saw it. Yep, all five of them. Dumped into theaters for about a week before hitting DVD it's the latest victim of mismarketing and false expectations. It isn't a cheesy "B" horror movie or a "suspense thriller" as the posters, taglines and cover art imply. And that's why it's successful. It's a compelling if only slightly uneven human drama that doesn't belong in the bargain bin like you've heard. More surprisingly, it's made too well to even be considered a guilty pleasure.

Yes, there's a big twist ending but everyone was too busy pointing their fingers at what other movies it may have "ripped off" that they forgot to actually look at the context it was presented in or notice that it worked very well. I didn't think a film focusing on the mysterious circumstances involving a plane crash and featuring such diverse talents as Anne Hathaway, Patrick Wilson and David Morse could possibly be awful. I was right. They have nothing to be ashamed of for appearing in this, especially Hathaway who gives a performance that not only rises above the material, but elevates it. Those hoping to see her slumming it for a quick payday will be sorely disappointed. I guess you'll just have to rent Bride Wars instead.

The film appears to make its first mistake within the opening minutes by not showing us the horrific plane crash that jump starts the narrative or letting us get to know the passengers on any personal level. But there are reasons. They're not entirely surprising, but are much more rewarding than I expected. It opens, Lost-style, with the few surviving passengers wandering aimlessly as the plane engulfs in flames. A frazzled, inexperienced psychotherapist Claire Summers (Hathaway) is assigned by her superior (Andre Braugher) to counsel the survivors and deal with their post-traumatic stress. In her late twenties, she's spent more time collecting diplomas and masters degrees than living life, which proves to be a major hurdle in helping these people. As far as grief counselors go, she isn't a very effective one. And knows it.

Each of the passengers handle their ordeal in different ways, but one of the survivors, Eric (Wilson), appears to be on a euphoric high after the crash, relishing every moment and making major life changes. In other words, he's in complete denial and could explode at any moment. A major part of his new self-improvement program is trying to get the repressed Claire to loosen up enough to sleep with him. Claire is concerned when Eric starts showing signs of "E.S.P.", knowing things about Claire only those closest to her (and probably just about everyone else on the planet) would, like that she takes milk and sugar in her coffee and has a sister.

The more the mysterious details of the plane crash present themselves the more interested she becomes in piecing them together to give her patients closure. This raises the ire of an airline beaurocrat (David Morse) who's trying to cover up the company's possible negligence in the crash. Since he's played by Morse you probably could have guessed that he's really creepy and talks in an evil whisper. Tensions escalate when the surviving passengers start to go missing and Claire's relationship with Eric crosses that "ethical line." Worse yet, her kooky neighbor (Dianne Wiest) won't leave her alone and yes even the Cigarette Smoking Man (William B. Davis) from The X-Files shows up to join in the action.

I was worried this movie would go the way of the dreadful Julianne Moore supernatural thriller The Forgotten from a few years ago. Strong premise, pathetic follow through. Instead what shows up onscreen more closely resembles Peter Weir's Fearless, the definitive entry on the psychological scars of a plane crash and a character driven drama interested in examining how we choose to live our lives. The central mystery involving the crash isn't that interesting (at least until the final minutes) but it's to director Rodrigo Garcia's credit that he knows this and focuses instead on the relationship between Claire and Eric.

Despite his considerable talent, I fully expected Wilson to be roped into doing a poor man's Jack Shepherd from Lost, minus the beard and prescription drugs. But what he does with the character is kind of bizarrely brilliant and hysterical...in a good way. He's definitely not your typical traumatized survivor and a lot of things that came out of his mouth were really funny. In fcat his delivery was so funny and his chemistry with Hathaway so breezy you get the impression that if he signed up for a romantic comedy opposite her it would be excellent. We saw glimpses of his deadpan humor in Little Children but this was a completely different kind of part for him. He's not just playing a variation on the "everyman" here or "Mr. Nice Guy."

Hathaway is given a surprisingly complex, multifaceted character to play for this type of film, completely believable as a counselor without the confidence in herself to do the job, or do anything. Toward the final act you realize her role was even better developed than you thought and a good effort was put forth into fleshing her out, both by the writer and the actress. I've been very slow to come around on on Hathway but in the past year with Get Smart, Rachel Getting Married and now this she's proven she's got the goods to stick around a long time. Consider me a fan. A true test for any actor is always whether they can not only survive starring in a movie like this but actually make it entertaining. She's been criticized left and right for the choice but if anyone looked closer they'd see she wasn't just playing a pawn in a cheap thriller. Her character drives the plot and I can see why the role looked inviting beyond the paycheck.

I won't claim the twist ending is some big shocker and I'd be surprised if no one guesses it (minus a few details) by at least the halfway point, but I can argue that's it's handled with restraint and resonates emotionally. It's not treated as some big "GOTCHA!" moment. Instead, Garcia uses the final moments to explore the characters and it goes a long way to help explain some of the more problematic and confusing sections of the film away. The best example is the payoff involving Morse's character. It's unexpected, but sure makes a lot of sense when you think back on the picture.

The real twist here isn't the actual twist, but that you thought you were watching one kind of film and Garcia gave you another. Compare this to Flight Plan or Red Eye, where we're promised something huge and then cheated in the final act when it devolves into a routine thriller. This goes in the exact opposite direction. We think we're getting a routine thriller but its conclusion proves otherwise. The plane crash, when we do see it, is gripping and good technical decisions are made throughout, such as a subtle, unobtrusive score and rich, textured lighting from cinematographer Igor Jadue-Lillo. The PG-13 also rating feels appropriate, not a cop-out where you can tell certain sections were watered down in post-production to appease the masses. Garcia isn't a mainstream director, specializing in intimate character driven pieces, and the film is all the better for it. It's more of a pensive and reflective experience than a thrilling one, but explaining exactly how would require more information than should be revealed.

It's a pity when a film is mismarketed. THIS IS NOT A THRILLER OR A HORROR MOVIE. Had that important distinction been made in the advertising Passengers could have cleaned up a little at the box office or at least broken even given its premise and star power. A movie shouldn't be punished for what it isn't, but judged on its own terms. And blame most definitely shouldn't be placed on Hathway and Wilson who go way above and beyond the call of duty with their performances. They made me care about both these people and the story. I knew they were good, but this is further proof of just how good. Watch Passengers because of them, but also watch it because it's actually far smarter and much better than you'd expect.

My Top 10 Favorite Character Actors

It's been a rough couple of weeks in the film world as we recently lost two very gifted and criminally under-appreciated actors. While the media's sensationalistic coverage of Natasha Richardson's death was largely misinformed and irresponsible, it was their reporting of Tony Award winning and Emmy nominated actor Ron Silver's passing that was downright shameful. Choosing to take cheap shots at his conservative political stance rather than celebrate his contributions as an actor is as disgraceful as it gets.

If you just mention Silver's name I'm betting most people wouldn't have a clue who he is, but show a clip from any of his television or film appearances and you're likely to be greeted with a "Hey...I know him! He's in EVERYTHING." He was often typecast as villains (Blue Steel), lawyers (Reversal of Fortune), politicos (The West Wing) or slick, greedy businessmen (Skin) but only because so few could play them as well. And if you saw him in anything you knew he was capable of making the jump to A-List headliner had he just been given better opportunities.

One of my favorite Silver performances came in 1996's underrated sci-fi thriller The Arrival, a surprisingly smart film made even smarter by his presence. Richardson got slightly more recognition but also flew further under the radar than she should have. In a perfect world both would have been household names because they certainly had the talent. But that's the double-edge sword of the "character actor." They're always finding steady work because of their ability to invisibly slip into any role but it's that very skill that causes us and the studios to overlook their work and take them for granted. Usually the backbone of any film in which they appear, they often have to sit back and applaud politely while the George Clooneys, Brad Pitts and Julia Roberts' reap all the accolades.

That's why Richard Jenkins' nomination this year meant so much. It was a victory for supporting film actors everywhere proving if they were given the ball they could run with it. Kevin Spacey, William H. Macy, Paul Giamatti, Philip Seymour Hoffman are just a few of the fortunate ones who were able to break through. I've been meaning to do this list for a long time and recent events reminded me again just how overdue the actors below are for recognition. You've seen their faces and now it's time to get their names. There's no question any one of them could step up right now and take a leading role in a major studio release and the film would be all the better for it. Believe me there are MANY, MANY more I'm leaving out but here are my favorites:

10. James Rebhorn-The tall, lanky actor is often cast as a villain, appearing frequently as government agents, lawyers, politicians and doctors. Most probably remember him for his role in as the prosecuting attorney in the series finale of Seinfeld but I'll always associate him with the final heart pounding half hour of David Fincher's The Game. Only in retrospect do you realize just how important his seemingly smallish role in that was. Who REALLY had the tough job of selling that final twist? Has also appeared in comedies like Meet The Parents.

9. Wallace Shawn-This comic actor and part-time playwright has made a career out of playing weird, wacky goofs, most famously Vizzini in Rob Reiner's The Princess Bride. Was given his wackiest and darkest role to date as industrial tycoon Baron von Westphalen in Southland Tales. Maybe you hated the film, but show me anyone who didn't love his oddball performance in it. Recently showed up on Gossip Girl, of all places. Strangely, that kind of fits. We've learned to expect the unexpected from him.


8. Jane Lynch- Scene-stealing Second City alum has been popping up all over the place for the past decade in mostly comedic roles. Has shown up in the Christopher Guest mockumentaries Best in Show, A Mighty Wind and For Your Consideration. Had a brief but very memorable stint on Arrested Development but is best known as Andy's boss in The 40-Year-Old Virgin and for her hilarious turn as a counselor in Role Models, her biggest part to date. Hopefully it leads to even bigger things for her because she might be the funniest actress working today, supporting or otherwise. Brings a real natural, down-to-Earth charm to all her performances. Very curious to see her anchor a major comedy.

7. William Fichtner- A former soap star who's clocked in the miles on television dramas (Invasion, Prison Break), he's also gone on to carve a nice niche for himself as a supporting actor in big budget studio fare (Armageddon, Black Hawk Down). Argue all you want whether The Dark Knight actually met expectations, but the opening minutes definitely did. A huge reason why was his brief but pivotal turn as the doomed Gotham Bank manager who didn't back down to Ledger's Joker. Has a creepy, distinguishable look and demeanor that's translatable as either hero or villain.

6. David Morse-The St. Elsewhere vet is probably the most intense of the actors on this list, whether he's providing valuable support in a Stephen King adaptation (The Langoliers, Hearts in Atlantis, The Green Mile) or playing the neighbor from hell in Disturbia (during which he reportedly stayed in character on set). In his greatest performance, completely outshone Jack Nicholson (!) in Sean Penn's underrated The Crossing Guard. Completely fearless in the roles he chooses, as last year's Hounddog proves.

5. Bob Gunton-Who can ever forget his Bible thumping Warden Norton in The Shawshank Redemption? Since then the 63- year-old has literally been popping up everywhere in everything, often playing elderly statesmen and authority figures, like recently on 24. Whenever he shows up onscreen you can't help but smile because you just know no matter how small the role, he's gonna nail it.

4. Bruce McGill- After kicking his career off as "D-Day" opposite John Belushi in National Lampoon's Animal House he's gone to play shady characters in postions of power (Timecop, Matchstick Men) and political figures (Vantage Point). But my favorite role of his was his warmest, an unforgettable, Emmy-worthy guest starring turn as a kind but mysterious bartender in the final episode of Quantum Leap, helping that series go out on the highest note possible. Has continued his political trajectory by recently appearing as George Tenet in Oliver Stone's W. and co-starring in the HBO film Recount. Has the gift of making even the smallest part burst with meaning.

3. Ken Marino- A former member of MTV's The State with director David Wain, New York native Marino is probably the most underrated performer on the list. Co-starred in Wain's hilarious Wet Hot American Summer, The Ten (which he co-wrote) and most recently in Role Models. Turned in strong dramatic work in the underseen Diggers from a few years ago (which he also co-wrote with Wain) as well as providing some memorable guest starring arcs on major television shows like Dawson's Creek, where he memorably played Katie Holmes' college professor. That and his role as goofy private eye Vinnie Van Lowe on Veronica Mars should qualify him as a national hero rather than just a great character actor.

2. Noah Emmerich-Typecast as the "best friend" in The Truman Show and Frequency, he took that part to a whole new devastating level in 2006's Little Children, delivering HANDS DOWN the best performance in that film, physically and emotionally transforming himself to deliver one of the most overlooked supporting turns of the decade as "retired" cop Larry Hedges. Stole the show again recently opposite Ed Norton and Colin Farrell in Pride and Glory. Give this man a starring role already.

1. Christopher McDonald- When the job description calls for "sleaze" McDonald is the go-to guy which can be both a blessing and a curse. Casting directors seem reluctant to give him the opportunity to stretch beyond that even though there's very little doubt he could. Sure, you know him best as Shooter McGavin in Happy Gilmore but he never gets credit for how much range he shows in what on paper seem to be the slightest parts. Watch him as the slimy infomercial host in Darren Aronofsky's Requiem For A Dream or listen to his work in 1999's animated The Iron Giant.

Has also appeared in Quiz Show, The Rich Man's Wife, The Faculty, Nurse Betty, Broken Flowers, Rumor Has It, The Sopranos, Awake, Mad Money, Superhero Movie and The House Bunny. The list is never ending and more than a few of those films are terrible, which is exactly the point. No one has been as prolific, contributed so much to material far below him and has gotten as little credit. Like most character actors he's had to appear in a lot of garbage where he was literally the only good thing in it. I'm all for paying your dues (and the bills) but enough is enough already. This guy's proven time and again he's way too talented to be appearing in any junk. Here's hoping even at age 54 that he lands that big starring role because no one can say he hasn't earned it.

Disturbia

Director: D.J. Caruso
Starring: Shia LeBeouf, Sarah Roemer, Carrie Anne Moss, David Morse, Aaron Yoo, Matt Craven
Running Time: 105 min.
Rating: PG-13

*** (out of ****)

Disturbia attempts to marry two genres that really have no business appearing together in the same film: The teen movie and the Hitchcockian thriller. It executes one extremely well and the other at least somewhat competently. That I'm giving it three stars can only mean I'm feeling very generous and forgiving lately because, truthfully, the movie's a mess. However, when it was over I was forced to admit that for what it was trying to accomplish it mostly succeeded as well as it possibly could.

Whether a film like this should have even been attempted in the first place is a different matter altogether, but I've struggled to come up with any ideas that could have possibly made it any better. It features an at least partially clever script, appealing performances, is well directed, yet somehow manages to come off feeling routine. Maybe that's because it starts out so strongly and builds its characters so well early on that I was just hoping for more. What we end up getting is serviceable, if not very imaginative. Unusually for a teen movie, its strong suite lies in the acting and chemistry between the two leads. The movie is really bolstered by a strong lead performance from an actor many can't stand and an impressive co-starring debut from an actress who commands our attention, almost to the point where time seems to stand still whenever she's onscreen.

The first three or four scenes that open Disturbia are so gripping and tension filled that the movie really has its work cut out for it in somehow delivering on the promise of them. Right out of the gate Director D.J. Caruso succeeds in giving us one of the best prologues I've seen in a movie in quite some time as he opens with the fishing trip of our main character, Kale (Shia LeBeouf) and his dad (Matt Craven). In just a few minutes Caruso succeeds in establishing a believable father-son bond between the two and getting us to really care about them in a way that doesn't feel forced. Then he pulls the rug out from under us with a viscerally horrific car accident that kills the father. The scene is not only scarier than anything else that comes later in the film, but one of the most terrifying car crashes I've seen depicted onscreen in recent memory.

We then flash forward a little over a year later where a distant, troubled Kale stands in front of a judge for punching out a teacher who really had it coming. He's sentenced to house arrest where he must where a Martha Stewart-style ankle bracelet that goes into a blinking and bleeping frenzy if he steps outside the regulated 100 foot parameter. What's interesting here is that no one seems to have the slightest bit of sympathy for what this teen is going through after losing his father. Or if they do, they're not showing it. His mom (Carrie Anne Moss, an off-kilter casting choice), realizing his house arrest amounts to nothing more than a vacation, cancels his X-Box and I-Tunes subscriptions so he's forced to stare out his bedroom window with binoculars all day. He witnesses such exciting events as extra-marital affairs and kids watching porn channels in their room. Relief finally arrives in the form of hot new neighbor Ashley (Sarah Roemer), whose hobbies include lots of swimming, sunbathing on her roof and prancing around her bedroom topless. Kale starts to think this may not be such a bad deal after all.

Joined by his hyperactive best friend Ronnie (an entertainingly goofy Aaron Yoo) they watch her every move until, much to their surprise, she shows up at the doorstep (soaking wet). Ashley's reaction later on to the revelation he's been watching her results in the film's most memorable and quotable line, providing a hint that the best movie of the year could have come out of this material if they wanted it to. For a while it looked like it was going in that direction as Christopher Landon and Carl Ellsworth's script has a great ear for how teens really talk and act. And in what may be the film's biggest surprise, LeBeouf and Roemer nearly ignite the screen with their chemistry. If the film ended at this point I would have given it four stars.

So far the impossible has been accomplished. Caruso has given us a teen movie with intelligence and in minimal time gotten us to not only care about the characters but sold us a believable romance in a matter of minutes. Most dramas can't accomplish effectively in their entire running time what happens in the first 45 minutes of what should be a throwaway teen movie. It's clear Caruso (who directed 2002's The Salton Sea starring Val Kilmer) really knows what he's doing and it appeared he had the script to support him. I remember thinking here that even if the rest of the film collapses I would still consider it a success. Remember that statement.

You may have noticed I referred to the film earlier as "Hitchcockian" and if you've seen the trailers and commericials you know exactly why. What comes next is disappointing, but inevitable unfortunately. The teens discover their creepy neighbor, Mr. Turner (David Morse) just might be…A MURDERER! I don't know what could have given it away. Maybe the prostitutes arriving but strangely never leaving, his fascination with knives, or the blood soaked plastic bags being dragged in and out of his house. They think this may be the guy behind all these mysterious disappearances on the news. That's interesting, but what's more interesting is this psychopath who doesn't look like he has a job other than killing people can afford the live in the richest suburb in America. The problem isn't so much that this storyline involving a murderer next door is executed poorly because it's not. It's just so…ordinary. There's no mystery as to the man's guilt or what he's doing.

As I watched I tried to think of other possible scenarios the main characters could uncover that would make this story more intriguing but I couldn't. Of course, that's the screenwriters' job, not mine. I almost wished Ashley would throw down the binoculars, turn to Kale and say, "Why are we doing this?" She couldn't though because that would mean we couldn't get the obligatory scene where he's smelling her hair from behind as she looks out the window. It just doesn't seem to fit that these two, who up to until now were so engaging in a perfect movie with surprisingly clever wit and dialogue, are thrown into a paint-by-the-numbers thriller. Besides conflicting with the entire tone of first half of the movie, it feels like the script had a lobotomy, deteriorating out of nowhere into a slasher film.

As disappointed as I am with that development though, I have to admit it is suspenseful and done well, thanks in no small part to the performance of David Morse as Mr. Turner. Morse is a phenomenally gifted character actor who's appeared in films far superior to this and he invests Turner with so much more depth than the one-note psycho he's written as. He has a scene alone in a parking garage with Roemer where he's so creepy it becomes almost too uncomfortable to watch. Supposedly Morse stayed in character during the entire shoot, which doesn't surprise me since as the guy's a consummate pro as an actor. When I saw his name on the credits I knew we were guaranteed at least one outstanding performance. Caruso should count his lucky stars he even got him for this role because it scares me to imagine how much worse the last act of the film would have been without his presence. Still, despite the danger Morse's character conveys, you can't shake the feeling everyone's just playing super sleuth in this section of the film.

I know a lot of people have problems with LeBeouf as an actor, but ironically, it's his grounded performance as a regular teen that helps save the movie when it takes the path into nonsense. Because we believe him as this everyday kid, we end up buying it when he's in serious danger. He's been accused of playing the super sensitive geek card in every film but it works for him here and he gets the job done. Ryan Gosling or Jospeh Gordon Levitt he ain't but he doesn't have to be for this kind of role, and Caruso is smart enough not to have him try.

Then there's Sarah Roemer. While she may immediately grab your attention because of how she looks (though she isn't what you'd call conventionally pretty in the "Hollywood" sense), there's something else there. It's a presence and natural magnetism she has that isn't easy to describe or explain. You can't look away and end up hanging on every word she says. I'm not even sure it has much to do with acting or it's anything that can be taught, as even some great actors don't command the screen as well as she does here. She just has "it." They'll be plenty of time to see what she can do as an actress, but I do know this would have been a far different (and likely inferior) movie without her in it. She's definitely someone to keep an eye on. We won't have a choice. Carrie-Ann Moss is an interesting choice for what amounts to basically a throwaway role as Kale's mom, but she's surprisingly believable in her few scenes as a caring parent. I'd say the role is underwritten, but given the direction of the script, I'm not too sure as there's really nothing more that character could have possibly contributed.

Disturbia has been labeled everywhere as a virtual remake of Hitchcock's Rear Window and while the inspiration in concept is clearly there, the script cleverly manages to avoid all these comparisons early on by updating the story enough that it feels completely fresh and different. It's at least smart enough to know that in the 21st century being sentenced to house arrest can be a blast, especially if you live in a house like Kale does here. The production and set designers deserve a bonus for not only making the house look that good, but making it look lived in as well. His mom cutting him off from his entertainment world was the type of small, believable detail I don't think many other movies would have even thought to bother with.

Modern technology such as cell phones and digiicams were enough to make the voyeuristic aspect of the story seem new and compelling as well. Unfortunately, this just makes the disintegration of the film into genre thriller territory all the more disappointing when it finally comes. For the teen audience this is primarily aimed for though this movie couldn't possibly work any better and it's no wonder it cleaned up at the box office. What's advertised is exactly what you get. I'm sure they're probably planning a sequel as I type this and I can't say I mind since the overall concept is intriguing and more could definitely be done with it.

There are some genuine thrills and tension in the final act, but still the feeling hovers that something deeper should have been wrung from this material. It looked like it would really go there, but instead it just settles. It's almost unfathomable that a film with this many flashes of pure brilliance comes out on the other side with just a mild recommendation from me. Maybe I'm wrong though. Maybe combining these two genres was a mistake from the get-go and what we have here is the best that could have come from it. What I do know, however, is that it's been a while since I've felt this conflicted about a film. It may sound like a backhanded compliment, but Disturbia can't help but feel like a good thriller with a great movie hidden inside, just begging to come out.