Theatrical Review of Lakeview Terrace

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"Columbo" and "Law and Order: Criminal Intent" broke with the usual formula by beginning most episodes from the perspective of the criminal. "Lakeview Terrace" also kicks off from the point of view of the "bad guy" but instead of affording viewers the pleasure of catching the criminal in flagrante delicto, the film situates its antagonist in a typical domestic scene.

Abel Turner (Samuel L. Jackson) gazes mournfully at a picture of his deceased wife before heading down to breakfast with his daughter and son. It has all the appearance of a scene designed to generate sympathy for Abel, but the brief illusion of tranquility is broken when the authoritarian Abel comes down hard on the kids for minor infractions of his nearly endless set of rules: his son catches hell for wearing a Kobe Bryant jersey when "we´ve switched over to Shaq now."

You might say that the film tips its hand early if not for the fact that virtually everyone piling in to watch Neil LaBute´s newest film has already seen the trailer that features Sam Jackson´s villainy as its primary selling point. Thanks to the trailer, we already know where the film is heading once the newest couple on the block moves in. Chris and Lisa Mattson (Patrick Wilson and Kerry Washington) dream the typical upwardly mobile dream of a big house in a toney neighborhood with the idea of starting a family… someday.

Chris also happens to be white and Lisa happens to be black, which matters a great deal to Abel who pontificates about the "new world" we live in. Indeed, mixed-marriage couples are highly conspicuous in the movie, particularly at the Mattson´s house-warming party where Abel sticks out like a sore thumb. He´s also a police officer, an aspect highlighted in the trailer (and the poster) as the movie´s defining irony, but one that doesn´t play out as prominently in the actual film.

Tension builds initially from minor issues such as overly bright security lights and carelessly flicked cigarette butts. But the central conflict between the two men stems from Chris´ progressive world-view in which everyone seeks to resolve their differences and Abel´s ossified value system in which right and wrong are clearly defined and immutable standards. It takes liberal Chris far too long to finally accept the alien notion that Abel doesn´t want to "just get along" and by then it´s too late to avoid tragedy.

The script by David Loughery and Howard Korder (story by Loughery) gives Abel´s character ample screen time, perhaps as much as Chris and/or Lisa, but it´s difficult to figure out to what end. Abel begins as a somewhat nuanced character but Jackson´s box-office-gold ability to snap off menacing one-liners turns Abel into a character who oscillates wildly between plausible world-weariness and cartoonish evil. He is actually quite dedicated to serving as a police officer and seems to be a pretty good cop… except when he isn´t. Likewise, Abel, with his rigidly defined set of rules, has clear lines that he will not cross… until he crosses them.

The film holds together surprisingly well through the first half, as the give and take between Chris and Abel makes "Lakeview Terrace" a worthy entry in the "neighbor from hell" subgenre. Lisa, as happens all too often to women in Hollywood films, begins as a promising character but is gradually pushed to the sidelines in favor of macho posturing and violence. As Abel´s actions become increasingly arbitrary, however, the film quickly loses its appeal, and degenerates into a thunderously stupid ending that has all the markings of a heavy dose of production notes.

Wilson and Washington deliver competent performances, but their characters are so generically yuppi-fied they don´t get much to play with. Sam Jackson, one of Hollywood´s most reliable go-to actors, is the unquestioned star even if he isn´t the protagonist (which, I suppose, is something that might be argued in future screenwriting seminars.) Jackson has always been a compelling performer, but all too frequently in recent years has simply phoned-in performances that play as self-caricature ("1408" and "Jumper" being two of the most disappointing recent examples.) Jackson provides a lot more substance here, but he still indulges his penchant for camp too often to create a truly believable character.

If not for the idiotic ending, "Lakeview Terrace," for all its other flaws, would be worthy of a recommendation. Sadly, those final ten minutes have been appended to the film forever (or at least until the DVD release) and this has to be considered yet another failure from the once-promising LaBute though, to damn with very faint praise, it sure as heck is an improvement on "The Wicker Man."

5/10 on the DVDTown scale.

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