An excellent story about a dirty cop for a neighbor and Patrick Wilson's character not being able to do much about it. Great that it's not the type to contrive racist things all over it instead it's more subtle. I love how the movie gets away with 2 f bombs! Lakeview Terrace is under appreciated and highly entertaining in my opinion; deserves more credit!
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UniqueParticle25 October 2020
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A very well made psycho-thriller that stands at the top of a sub-genre kick-started by Adrian Lyne's FATAL ATTRACTION in 1987. LAKEVIEW TERRACE features Samuel L. Jackson in riveting form as the main antagonist, a character who's not only the neighbour-from-hell but a cop-from-hell too (imagine this guy on the beat with Ray Liotta's character from UNLAWFUL ENTRY!). LAKEVIEW TERRACE sidesteps cliché throughout – arguably until the climax, anyway – and delivers plenty of suspense and thrills in its story of a racist-with-a-twist – this time it's Jackson who's the racist, a guy who hates whites.
Patrick Wilson and Kerry Washington are somewhat bland modern actors, but the quality of the scripts drives them to give fairly good turns here. The film belongs to Jackson in the end, though, and he keeps us watching through thick and thin. Realism is often swept aside in these types of production (I'm thinking of you, PACIFIC HEIGHTS) but not so here. Neil LaBute has made some awful films (in fact his one before this was the dire Nicolas Cage remake THE WICKER MAN) but Lakeview Terrace is an unexpected delight – a high-calibre piece of professional filmmaking that never disappoints. -
Seven. Yes, seven. No, I'm not talking about the David Fincher directed thriller, nor am I referring to Samurai, Dwarfs or the lucky number. In this context, seven denotes the number of wince inducing minutes it takes for Lakeview Terrace to throw it all away.
Particular genres of movies tend to have a nasty propensity to ruin their final acts, the foremost of those being thrillers and horror films. May it be an amateur director not knowing how to complete their vision, studio intervention sucking the life from the screen or the commonly occurring revelatory "shocker" ending which tries to jam too many ideas in the viewer's already bleeding sockets. Oddly, director Neil LaBute's latest offering does not succumb to a conventional destructive timeline, but instead opts to cataclysmically implode in literally the final scenes, a feat which few films can boast. Perhaps I am being an iota harsh, as I am recommending this film and the majority of this review will be skewed favourably, but chiefly, my unbounded feelings of contempt towards the finale should stand as a testament to their standalone absurdity which contrasts harshly with the preceding 90 or so minutes.
Samuel L. Jackson has had a vibrant career portraying characters in two spectrums of the acting realm. On one side we have his depictions that can be lumped into the loud-mouthed anti-hero category (Pulp Fiction, Die Hard with a Vengeance, Snakes on a Plane), and on the other, his more nuanced (as nuanced as Sam Jackson can be) roles. (Black Snake Moan, Resurrecting the Champ, Coach Carter) Lakeview Terrace to some extent blurs this boundary, but for the most part Jackson plays his role straight, and he is very good because of it. Jackson plays Abel Turner a veteran, but widowed LAPD officer who lives his daughter Celia (Regine Nehy) and Son Marcus (Jaishon Fisher) on Lakeview Terrace in the hills. He is strict to be sure and his protective nature sometimes obscures the obvious affection for his children. It is touches like this, and similar additions by LaBute that makes his character all the more menacing when the tension later builds, as he is not so much a faceless villain, but a deeply flawed everyman. Despite an encroaching wildfire, things are routine on Lakeview; Abel patrols the neighbourhood at night, loves his job and wants nothing more then to protect his family. Things change however when a new couple move in next door. The fact that husband Chris (Patrick Wilson) wife Lisa (Keri Washington) are interracial is only the fuel for Abel's contempt, and when his children witness a late-night skinny dip by these two newlyweds, the fire erupts and Abel and Chris' lives spiral out of control.
Fashioning Abel as a cop is an intelligent choice, as per the television advertisements indicate, what are they going to do, and who are the authorities going to believe; who will police the police indeed. The tension for the duration is so high, you don't even need a knife to cut it, and a definite sense of dread and menace perforates the narrative. LaBute, truthfully, makes few mistakes, he allows for character development, and as I mentioned not just regarding Chris and Lisa, lets the story develop at a slow burning pace, with the hillside fires mirroring the escalating tempers. The story is also far more insightful and caring then I ever would have anticipated regarding the complicated issue of race and marriage, without feeling shoehorned into the thriller template. As you can clearly discern I have a fairly large amount of admiration for Lakeview Terrace, which brings me to the ending.
Few endings I have seen have represented such a radical shift in tone, and made its characters undertake such ridiculous and uncharacteristic actions then we see here; and I assure you it is jarring. The immediately preceding act, is an iota off kilter with the acts preceding, but does not draw attention and properly illustrates the consequences when things are taken too far in the name of retribution. I was fully under the impression that things were going to end sharply until Abel's character jolts erratically from intelligent saboteur to volcanic lunatic and makes a series of choices that are against both his nature, and what the audience would want to see transpire. Either Abel lost his mind, or the director did. Those who seek out this film in theatres may be disappointed and feel the conclusion somehow managed to bilk them out of their cash like a sneaky pickpocket. LaBute's finale does not so much embody a slap in the face, but a swift hard kick to the groin.
Read all my reviews at Simon Says Movies: http://simonsaysmovies.blogspot.com/ -
There's an inherent problem with making a movie of this kind: unless you're a creative genius of your time, these sorts of movies have the potential to turn real generic, REAL fast.
Reminiscent of Denzel Washington from Training Day, we see Samuel L. Jackson play an overly aggressive cop with an agenda, with the movie focusing on the problems he's causing for his new neighbors. A completely realistic situation that can take place anywhere. Problem is, because a movie like this is completely character driven, after you have the nice slow build up to the climax, once the tension snaps, you're relegated to basically a generically default final act of the movie where "the bad guy finally comes out of the proverbial shadows and literally chases the hero." (i.e. Disturbia, The Glass House). It's a shame too because the buildup on this was very good. Samuel L. Jackson was really scary here, he played that bullying, obsessive character perfect. The only acting problems I saw were 2-3 moments from Kerry Washington where her sad face was done poorly, with overly done lip quivers and facial movements (similar to Kirsten Dunst's crying scenes from the Spider-Man movies, except done in a BAD way).
With a movie like this, you pretty much have these possible outcomes:
1) the generic, semi-predictable ending (like we got here). 2) tragic ending with hero dying at the end. 3) an unpredictable twist coming out of left field (this has the potential to be very good or very bad). 4) a Great ending.
Unfortunately we usually get number one, since they wanna give the satisfying, safe, effective, tried and true, Hollywood ending. Most people are content with those types of cop out endings. I'm not. -
jaredmobarak18 September 2008If you wanted to see a face of shock, you should have seen me when I found out the new Samuel L. Jackson vehicle Lakeview Terrace was directed by Neil LaBute. When I think of the man I can only conjure images of the fantastic Shape of Things and In the Company of Men, and I haven't even seen that one yet. To watch the trailer for this seemingly generic, racially motivated clash between neighbors just made me shake my head in shame. If it weren't for the castor the free screening passI probably would have completely passed the film up, without a second thought. So there I was, sitting in a packed theatre, in a somewhat foul mood as security made us check our phones at the door, taking mine despite the fact it has no camera, waiting past the advertised start time. And then came Jackson on screen, waking up from sleep, fixing a photo on the nightstand of he and his wife, slowly moving downstairs to meet his children. This is a parent of morals and intelligence, telling his son to remove a Kobe Bryant jersey because of what the man stands for and constantly correcting his daughter's English so as not to have her sound like an ignorant girl from the streets. Watching him fold laundry on the couch next definitely woke me up; maybe I wasn't going to get what I thought I would after all.
We are introduced to this man, Abel Turner, a cop and single father, trying to raise his children right. A man who worked double shifts and extra security jobs in order to move his family outside of the South Central neighborhood he grew up in. Sure he is rough around the edges, but he is a man of principle and it seems one that loves his children and would do anything to protect them. This buildup puts an entirely different spin on how he reacts to the moving in of Lisa and Chris Mattson, (Kerry Washington and Patrick Wilson respectively), an interracial couple buying their first house. Where the trailer just shows racial tension and disgust, the actual film shows someone trying his hardest to get along, but truthfully not being shown very much in the way of friendly neighbor from the newcomers. Between making love in their pool, within eyesight of Jackson's house and the children looking out the window; Wilson throwing his cigarette butts into his yard so as to fool his wife; and a little hostility early on, one might see where Turner had a point. Is the man a little wrong in the head, though? For sure. His intimidating demeanor is not helped by the little tests he performs, including pretending to hold Wilson up in his car with a flashlight.
There really isn't much to the story besides the escalating tensions mounting between the Mattsons and Turner. What at first can be construed as getting off on the wrong foot soon grows to borderline hatred with a touch of malicious intent. The threats fly and retribution is begunyou shine a flood light into my bedroom, I'll do the same. Not too long after do the children become involved, acting out against their father wanting to get to know the neighbors while he tries to shield them away. While I did not anticipate the high jump Jackson's games take towards the end, stopping any fun that might have been mixed with the not so subtle hints for the newly weds to move, going straight into thug territory, I was not surprised. The introduction of a character early on has no relevance if the story didn't evolve to the point it does at the end and it's convenient events like this that threaten to ruin what is working. The story is very neatly and meticulously put together, but maybe a bit too well done. An obstacle looming heavy over the whole film is the forest fire slowly eating its way closer and closer to the street that the action takes place on. Having such a backdrop always in mind screams artifice and truthfully does take you out of the movie a bit. Yes, they are in California, but instead of introducing the fire so early on, (I believe it's the first thing we hear on Jackson's alarm clock radio), they could have made it a problem with subtlety. We know the dangers of the area and would believe a fire starting; we don't need to be hand-held through the ordeal. Also, there is an underlying duplicity that crops up often. Jackson's partner is living with decisions on whether to try for a promotion and move his family to a safer neighborhood, thus allowing us to find out Abel Turner's similar predicament twenty years earlier. There is also the story of what happened to his wife, a tale whose explanation is revelatory to his feelings towards the Mattsons, I won't say more, but you will see the mirroring for yourself when viewing.
When you do look at Lakeview Terrace from afar, you will see some very intriguing instances of race, social status, and other barriers coming to the forefront as catalysts for the strained relationships cropping up. These are the kind of issues you expect LaBute to grasp ahold of and do something inventive and provocative. There are moments, don't get me wrong, but in the end, this is a studio picture and I'm sure his hands were tied just enough to keep it all reined in. However, there is that edge to it, sometimes more pronounced than others, along with a great performance from Jackson, as well as the others. With a fitting conclusion and overall entertaining suspense, I'd say LaBute has found a happy medium between Hollywood-fare and his indie/stage sensibilities. I just hope he goes full indie next time, because that is where he truly excels. -
kosmasp20 April 2009The movie itself might only have gotten 4 to 5 stars from me, weren't it for the cast. And while Patrick Wilson is pretty good in his lead role, Samuel L. Jackson is the one who shines. His performance does truly elevate this movie onto a level it couldn't have reached without him!
His presence is really phenomenal and when he is on screen you can feel his aura. When he delivers his dialogue it's pretty strong, even if the dialogue itself might not be the best, his interpretation of it, makes it stronger. There is one particular dialogue scene, where he is really showing a different side of his character (look for the "Whatever" speech).
Sadly the movie has also quite a few low points, which would be weighing a lot more, if Samuel weren't to play the foe here. Some clichés and the predictability of the whole thing/story. Still worth a watch, if alone (and I can't point that out enough) for Samuel's performance! -
searchanddestroy-129 July 2012That's the second time I see this very good thriller. Four years after the first one, back in 2008. I totally agree with everything the other users say about this film. Yes, yes, yes, Samuel Jackson gives here a wonderful performance. His character as a very ambivalent cop, racist - black racist !! - is absolutely unforgettable. So rare in usual foreseeable topics. It reminds me another movie I saw in 1992 - UNLAWLY ENTRY - starring Ray Liotta as a very sympathetic cop with the hero couple at the beginning of the feature, and very bad one as the story goes on...Except that there was not the racism point of view in the 92 film.
The good family man, good father, rough and very effective cop, but racist at the most, and in an exceptional way of showing it.
I would recommend it, even to my worst enemy, if I had one. -
I really liked this movie, its a situation you can identify with, annoying neighbor with deep- set views and prejudices and everyone knows what a racially charged environment LA is. Samuel Jackson was excellent as said neighbor who clearly had not got over the untimely passing of his wife. Patrick Wilson showed great poise having to deal with a black father-in-law clearly not happy he married his daughter and now a cop-neighbor with similar entrenched views. Director Neil Labute builds the tension up nicely and at no point is there a direct confrontation between the two characters, this is more psychological warfare than physical conflict.
I only have one gripe with the film and it revolves around the phone of the assailant who Jackson set up to trash the home, this would have been picked up by the cops who do very thorough searches of properties and then when patrick/chris gets the phone, why would he call the first number/listen to voicemail and even more bizarrely why would Abel/samuel answer the phone, he would have seen who the call was coming from. There should have been a better way of implicating Abel than that. Nevertheless, I thought the ending was done superbly, Abel finally losing it when Chris for the first time mentioned the taboo subject of Abel's dead wife. Anyone who liked pacific heights, crash or unlawful entry will love this. -
Craig_McPherson9 October 2008Neil LaBute has built his portfolio breathing life into movies and stage plays about dysfunctional individuals (usually men) who have difficulty fitting into relationships and societal norms. His first offering, 1997's In the Company of Men, earned him praise for his stark tale of two misogynist businessmen who conspire to romantically destroy a deaf woman, and is play "Bash: Latter Day Plays" earned him excommunication from the Church of Latter Day Saints for its unflattering portrayal of Mormons.
With Lakeview Terrace, LaBute opts for the unconventional exploration of black-on-white and black-on-black prejudice with uneven results.
Samuel L. Jackson plays Abel Turner, a veteran Los Angeles cop and single parent struggling to raise his two young kids. Turner's life has been scarred and ruptured by the death of his wife, who was killed in a car accident with her white lover while engaging in an affair something that understandably has been festering in Turner's craw for some time.
When the purchasers of the house next door turn out to be a racially mixed couple, Turner begins transposing his hatred on them as proxies for his wife's transgressions.
Initially Turner's intimidating ways seem focused on bullying his new "liberal" neighbors into maintaining decorum and giving his kids a wide berth, but things soon progress into unstable territory as his years of being an alpha male with a gun and a badge begin to get the better of him. With each successful intimidation, Turner becomes emboldened to become a law unto himself.
LaBute frames Turner's exploits against the backdrop of an escalating brushfire in the neighboring hills, which serves as metaphor for Turner's growing inner rage that threatens to consume the property and lives of everyone involved. LaBute's execution has all the subtlety of a gun butt to the head, which may actually have been his intention, given how he likely figured the audience would be comprised of escapist, action-seeking types not generally known for reflecting upon humanity's shortcomings.
Jackson does everything asked of him as he shows the progression of what at first seems to be a well-intentioned and loving parent, into an unbridled bully. The problem comes in the film's final act as the story culminates in forced cacophony that pushes the boundary of believability over the edge. A small dose of well timed restraint would have transformed this movie from a semi-decent popcorn muncher into a more serious vehicle for reflection on human values and prejudices. -
Smells_Like_Cheese27 September 2008Lakeview Terrace, what could have been a great thriller turned into a complete and total mess. I'm honestly surprised that this movie has the rating that it does, I'm trying not to insult anyone, just honestly, how could you take this seriously? It was so horribly written and I was actually looking forward to this film. My major problem was that the character development, there wasn't any, you go on this roller coaster ride where you think you might understand why Samuel L. Jackson's character is the way he is, but instead they go back into making you just brutally hate this guy. This is how beyond insane this movie is... Samuel L. Jackson goes from this stern, uptight guy to a bully, to a chainsaw maniac killer, to just plain psychotic, and honestly this guy is never given a solid reason why he turns this way, you're just left with five million questions and on of the worst endings I've ever seen.
Chris and Lisa, an inter-racial couple, the nicest couple you will ever meet, the couple you would love to be friends with finally got a home of their own in what seems like a very nice neighborhood... well, that is until they meet Able, their black widowed neighbor who also happens to be a police officer... who also happens to not approve of their relationship. From the get go Able is pretty much a rabid dog who threatens Chris off the bat saying to leave the neighborhood and that he doesn't like them. He just cannot be reasoned with, when Chris and Lisa have an unexpected surprise they were not ready for that gives their marriage a shake, Able isn't helping when he goes as far as to threatened their lives.
Honestly this is one of the worst films I have seen this fall season, it was beyond unrealistic and you have no compassion for some of the characters. Not to mention there is a constant rubbing in your face of the race issues, it's not just Samuel L. Jackson that doesn't approve of this relationship, all of the family and friends make some kind of disrespectful comment on it, I personally know 3 inter-racial couples and they don't receive that much hate or disapproval, it was hurtful on that level. I recommend you stay away from this movie, it's slow paced and the thrills are a let down. The story doesn't make much sense and I just found it to be pointless.
2/10 -
SnoopyStyle3 March 2014Abel Turner (Samuel L. Jackson) is a tough aggressive LAPD officer living with his two kids with lots of rules. Chris Mattson (Patrick Wilson) and Lisa (Kerry Washington) move in next door. Abel isn't happy with the couple, and tension rises.
Director Neil LaBute is supposedly putting together a little treatise on racial politics. But it's really just a way to a cheap thriller. The problem is nobody is likable. Nobody is compelling. It's the annoying neighborhood spate that everybody rolls their eyes at while desperately trying to avoid. That's what I feel when I watch this. I like to avoid this if at all possible. -
KineticSeoul21 April 2010This movie has the elements of racism and thriller in it, and it's pretty decent overall. It's about this interracial couple that moves into the neighborhood, right next to a crazy and racist black police officer named Abel Turner(Samuel L. Jackson) and let me tell you Jackson played a good villain in this cause he was pretty intimidating throughout the movie especially when his level of bullying start to elevate. The thing is Abel has a thing against white people, especially when they are in a relationship with a black girl although it doesn't really explain the reason behind it all that well. I liked how this movie was more original compared to other movies that deals with racism where it's just plain black and white. Although it ain't a great movie of these types of genre, it's alright and could have been better if the ending wasn't so generic.
7.3/10 -
HawkHerald31 October 2009A young successful interracial couple move into a new home in an exclusive California neighborhood. Chris Mattson (Patrick Wilson) and Lisa Mattson (Kerry Washington) are greeted with hostility by their new neighbor, LAPD Sergeant Abel Turner (Samuel L. Jackson), a widower and single father with a son and daughter. Chris and Lisa attempt to be cordial with Abel, inviting him and his family to their home and attending a barbecue Abel throws for some of his fellow officers. Despite this, Abel keeps becoming more disruptive and aggressive to Chris and Lisa. This eventually leads to retaliation on Chris' part and a confrontation with tragic consequences.
This movie despite its racial overtones doesn't break any new ground as a thriller. Patrick Wilson and Kerry Washington are a yuppie couple pushed too far and Sam Jackson as Abel is their disturbed neighbor/antagonist who wishes them harm. Definitely nothing new. The acting and script are okay with Sam Jackson's performance easily being the best. The ending is something that can be seen coming a mile away. This film is something you would watch on a slow day if it came on cable. -
eric26200310 August 2009It comes to no doubt that Samuel L. Jackson is still playing the same role here as we've sen him numerous times in the past. His fury, his intimidation and his determination offers very little in terms of originality in his performances. "Lakeview Terrace" is no exception. Here, Jackson comes on as a veteran cop with almost 30 years in the force as director Neil Labute, a noted playwright, takes the helm as he guides Jackson to pose as threat to a young interracial couple (Patrick Wilson and Kerry Washington) starting a new life in this ethnically diverse neighborhood.
Sure the premise is great and shows a potential for greatness, it's the pedestrian ending that really catches the audience off guard like so many other lazy scripts before this. The banal ending spells out commercial openly as opposed to art. Though LaBute didn't write the script, with two writers trying to usurp the other, many of LaBute's famous lines from previous outings were added in, but not necessarily for good measure.
Performance wise, Patrick Wilson is wonderful as the unfortunate victim to Jackson's obsessive demeanor and when the two are in the same scenes, the tensity heats up in epic proportions.
Set in the cozy neighborhood, Abel Turner (Jackson) feels calm and relived that his two children are safe in this area from drug-addicts, gangsters and inner-city parasites. He goes so far as to make them sound intelligent by avoiding them from talking in Ebonics. He's not tough because of his wife's sudden death, he's been that way since the day he was born.
Though not entirely bigoted, he has a partner who's Hispanic and lives near an Asian neighbor, we are lead to assume that the new neighbors of Abel would get along just fine. The main setback is that the new neighbor, Chris Mattson (Wilson) a Caucasian man is married to a black woman named Lisa (Kerry Washington). That's when things get ugly. It's strange and hardly explainable why this bothers Abel so much, it reminds me of the hostility George Jefferson had on the Willis' on "The Jeffersons". Only here it's a lot more darker in subject matter. But the purpose comes into effect and this is where the tensity begins to manifest.
We can still understand Abel's fears and for the protection of his children and the fears that they face. But eventually his fear and hostility escalates into nothing more than petty anger and self-centered hatred. He feels that interracial couples are a threat to the changing world we live in and doesn't want it to be an influence towards his teen-aged daughter.
One of the more fascinating scenes where Lisa and the daughter were exchanging love interests in a Caucasian boy, at the poolside without her father knowing. Abel isn't the only character who's disdained about her marriage to a white guy. Lisa's father who's a lawyer is peeved by her commitment to Chris, but later reconciles with her are just some of the more believable scenes in this movie.
It would have been more natural if Jackson was more restrained and not so over-the-top scary. Chris listens to hip-hop an R&B which angers people surrounding him, and when Chris gives his "why can't we all get along" and Abel shrugs him off. LaBute has a resume of making skin issues personal. "Lakeview Terrace" clearly examines the insecurity of that perfectly clear. And it was tripe that we add a wildfire coming their way that's tamer than the inner fire between the characters. -
ferguson-620 September 2008Greetings again from the darkness. If director Neil LaBute's last film wasn't enough reason to boycott this film, surely the ridiculous trailer was, right? Well, not when one is addicted to movies and "Ghost Town" is the other weekend opener.
Besides, LaBute does have "The Company of Men" on his resume, though that is more than negated by "Nurse Betty". But c'mon, Samuel L Jackson as an angry, prejudiced, screw-loose cop? That's got to have some good moments, eh? Sure enough, the first 30-45 minutes of the film deliver the level of uncomfortableness that LaBute was after. Viewers struggle to tell if Jackson is truly well meaning or actually the world's worst neighbor.
The objects of his disaffection are Patrick Wilson and Kerry Washington, the interracial couple who move in next door. Jackson's menacing looks and words and his ability to flash a badge make for quite a nightmare for the two love birds.
The film starts out seeming to test our beliefs and opinions on race but then spins off the axis and winds up being almost as ridiculous as "The Wicker Man" ... I said ALMOST! The last 45 minutes, I pretty much just kept thinking to myself ... "are you kidding". The ending certainly could have been handled much better given the few moments of brilliance throughout the movie. Quite the cop-out (pun intended). -
cricketbat7 May 2021Lakeview Terrace is stressful because it feels like something that could really happen. In fact, this movie is based on actual events, which makes it even more scary. And while this film does escalate into the melodramatic at the end, most of it is a realistic thriller that makes you feel as helpless as the protagonists. You can't pick your neighbors, but hope that you never get one like Abel Turner.
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zardoz-1323 September 2008Samuel L. Jackson doesn't know how to give a bad performance, but his choice of movies raises some questions. "Wicker Man" director Neil LeBute's suburban crime thriller "Lakeview Terrace" qualifies as a predictable, PG-rated melodrama that draws its inspiration from a real-life case of racism where an African-American cop harassed interracial couples in Los Angeles. This disposable,depressing, one-dimensional character study in villainy casts Jackson as a 28-year veteran of the Los Angeles Police Department who doesn't cotton to his new next door neighbors, a twentysomething interracial couple without a clue. For the record, "Hancock" star Will Smith sank some of his dough into this heavy-handed hokum.
Chris (Patrick Wilson of "Hard Candy") and Lisa Mattson (Kerry Washington of "Ray") have just bought their first house. Chris manages a grocery store and Lisa sits around the house drawing pictures when she isn't forgetting to take her birth control pills. She wants a child to mellow out her racist father Harold Perreau (Ron Glass of "Barney Miller") who didn't approve of her daughter's decision to marry a white bread yuppie. Movies have come a long way since the 1967 classic "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" where Sidney Poitier married a white girl. Ashton Kutcher and Bernie Mac appeared in the abysmal remake "Guess Who" that reversed everything so that white guy Kutcher could wed black girl Zoe Saldana. Everybody got along in these classic as well as less-than-classic movies. No sooner have Chris and Lisa moved in than they aggravate single-parent cop Abel Turner (Samuel L. Jackson of "Pulp Fiction") who doesn't take kindly to their liberal-minded antics.
Abel raises teenager daughter Celia (Regine Nehy of "Pride") and young son Marcus (TV actor Jasihon Fisher) without the benefit of a mother. Abel reveals later to Chris that his wife died in a traffic accident under suspicious circumstances that he hasn't quite reconciled himself to three years later. Abel rules his kids like a tyrant. Not only does he correct Celia's slang-ridden grammar at the breakfast table but he also reprimands her for wearing her iPod every waking moment. Similarly, he doesn't cut Marcus any slack. Not surprisingly, both Celia and Marcus are overjoyed when they get a break from dad to spend time with a relative. Meanwhile, Abel explains to his green, Hispanic partner Javier Villareal (Jay Hernandez of the "Hostel" horror flicks) that he moved his family out of the troubled ghettos where he grew up so that they would have a better life. Abel keeps a tight lid on his patrol area, just as most cops in crime movies do, playing criminals off against other to maintain law and order. Abel has an obese white drug dealer Clarence (Keith Loneker of "Leatherheads") under his thumb and protects Clarence because he serves as an informant.
Abel and the Mattson's get off on the wrong foot. Abel welcomes Chris by pulling a fake carjacking while our protagonist sits in his parked car in his own driveway listening to hip-hop music. Afterward, Abel advises Chris that no matter how loud or how long he plays hip-hop it will never made him black. Chris smokes secretly in his car because Lisa won't let him smoke in their house. He aggravates things when he thumps his cigarette butts on Abel's lawn. Abel's blinding security home lights keep the Mattsons from sleeping since they don't have curtains. Chris talks to Abel but gets nowhere. Things really derail because the Mattson's have a backyard swimming pool that Celia and Marcus would die to swim in but Abel doesn't want them hobnobbing with the neighbors. Anyway, the Abel's kids play peeping toms one evening when Chris and Lisa have sex in their swimming pool. Abel objects to this behavior and the incidents intensify. Our heroes awaken to their car alarm, rush down to their garage, and discover the tires on their sedan have been slashed. Abel discusses the situation with the Los Angeles Sheriff's Deputies who responded to the Mattson's call and a Sheriff's Deputy remarks that they are lucky because they live next door to a cop.
"Lakeview Terrace" shares a lot in common with the paranoid Michael Keaton thriller "Pacific Heights." No matter what our heroes do, Abel beats them to the punch, until his own peopleLAPD Internal Affairsgive him the third degree for roughing up a young African-American male, Damon Richards (Jada Pinkett Smith's younger brother Caleeb Pinkett of "Charmed"), who tried to blast Abel with a pump action shotgun during a domestic disturbance at an apartment complex. Internal Affairs investigator Lieutenant Morgada (Eva La Rue of CBS-TV's "C.S.I. Miami") and her colleague warn Abel that they are watching him.
Jackson smolders with rage in this combustible movie because he doesn't approve of a white guy playing house with a black girl. Jackson's performance is about the only thing worth watching because his co-stars barely make an impression as a sympathetic couple that have to contend with his cruel shenanigans. Indeed, the sympathetic couple are pretty boring. Since the bad cop doesn't have a moral leg to stand on, it is just a matter of time until he makes his fatal mistake. In other words, the short-sighted David Loughery and Howard Korder's screenplay boasts few surprises. Loughery's less-than-impressive writing credits include "Money Train" and "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier," while Howard Korder has penned the TV movie "Stealing Sinatra" and "The Passion of Ayn Rand." None of their screenplays have amounted to much so it's no surprise that "Lakeview Terrace" is such a woofer. Basically, neither director Neil LeBute nor his scenarists have brought a shred of imagination to a potentially explosive but superficial saga. If you've seen the trailer for "Lakeview Terrace," you've seen more than enough to know that this objectionable opus is worth neither your time nor your money. -
Quinoa198422 September 2008I'm sure Neil LaBute is a talented director- I've enjoyed both Your Friends and Neighbors and the criminally underrated Nurse Betty (not seen In the Company of Men or Shape of Things, but heard great things about both, not so much the Wicker Man redux)- and Lakeview Terrace occasionally flashes some moments that reveal his understanding of the subject matter at hand. Other times, he just lets the screenwriters do it for him, and it turns out far less fascinating or really disturbing as it could have been. Early on the story speaks its promise: a conservative LA cop- yes, conservative first and foremost as one notes the character's disdain for democrats or just liberalism in general- played by Sam Jackson sees a white guy (Patrick Wilson) and black woman (Kerry Washington) move in. From the get-go there's hostility, if at first more subtle and just annoying. And there's some possible questions that could be raised in the course of the running time of the picture, if just as possibilities.
But the problem, very soon to see, is that everything that motivates Jackson's character to act the way he does becomes twisted around a plot contrivance. I won't spoil it (not to really shield you from it, just because it's not worth it if you intend on seeing it), but something from Abel's history that shouldn't be so blatant and be more ambiguous or allow Jackson as an actor some room for subtlety or room for interpretation is shoved down our collective gullets. One might wish that there would be more room for three-dimensionality in general, but at best we get just 2D and at worst it's basically one continuous drumming beat until we almost kind of dread Jackson's character coming in on Wilson and Washingtons' scenes, not so much because he's supposed to be menacing but because it throws off the flow of the story. It's not even that Jackson is bad in the performance, on the contrary he does the best he can and sometimes does bring that flash or just flinch of the face that reminds us how good an actor he can be.
LaBute can't figure out entirely how to proceed with a highly charged drama, however, without a heavy-handed metaphorical device. It is a fact that the Southern California has been a hot-bed of wildfires spreading all about, destroying lots of pricey property and leveling to waste millions (maybe billions) of dollars of revenue. The tactic here in Lakeview Terrace is to take that symbol of fire burning down a city and transplant it into the burning down of racial bonding and peace and yada yada, and it's not really a metaphor/symbol/whatever that hits right away - but when it does, yikes is it an over-bearing claptrap made especially for the climax (I was almost pining for that also hackneyed Haggis formula of crashes in Crash).
And, again, motivation and really well-defined characters end up sinking this after the promising first act; as soon as Abel's agitation turns to practically psychotic behavior, it's hard to actually connect with this past something out of a horror movie. And I don't mean that as something for a cathartic reaction or other. Wilson and Washingtons' characters don't help much either as we're privy to a contrived sub-plot involving an "unintentional" pregnancy (not to mention Jackson's own semi-interesting sub-plot with him screwing up on the force). By the end it turns to being laughable as a quasi-revenge quasi-what-the-hell treatise on uneasy racial relations where just some more hints of unintentional racism, as opposed to just the sinister presence of big-bad-black-*cop*, might be an advantage. 5.5/10 -
willidke25 September 2008So I have to be brutally honest here, I was mainly looking forward to see "Lakeview Terrace" because I really thought it was going to be awful. And it did look that way to me by the trailers. So I went to laugh at it, but when it started to keep getting better and better, I couldn't really laugh at it anymore. Now not saying that this movie does not have flaws, because IT DOES. But it surprised me with its thematic elements, and really suspenseful scenes. But the cons are that it is a really heavy PG-13 film, and I personally thought they could have made it 10 times better if they had crossed the line into 'R'(which wouldn't have taken much more) and really fleshed out some things that are just hinted at because of their content. And the main con to the film for me was that there was no message at the end of the movie. It just ended, no theme or statement about the story. Just ended without saying "Now the moral of the story is..." So overall I'd recommend this movie to you. The good out-weighs the bad and its really a lot of fun.
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In California, the Caucasian Chris Mattson (Patrick Wilson) and his Afro-American wife Lisa Mattson (Kerry Washington) move to a house in a safe compound. The racist and dysfunctional next door neighbor is an abusive LAPD Officer Abel Turner (Samuel L. Jackson) that feels uncomfortable with the interregional relationship of the newcomers and transforms their lives in Hell on Earth.
The predictable and flawed "Lakeview Terrace" is not totally bad, but is the type of movie that will be broadcasted on TV in a Saturday night tin a couple of years. However, for a Neil LaBute film, this commercial movie is a great deception. After the promising debut with "In the Company of Men" and the awful remake of "The Wicker Man", Neil LaBute falls downhill with the weak movie. My vote is five.
Title (Brazil): "O Vizinho" ("The Neighbor") -
hitchcockthelegend30 January 2014It contains quite a punch does Lakeview Terrace, propelled by Samuel L. Jackson in a meaty lead role as a racist black cop with white issues, it is for the most part a riveting thriller.
Jackson is Abel Turner, a single parent police officer raising two kids, he's stressed out, easily annoyed and his method of parenting and policing is leading him down the road to hell. So when inter-racial couple Chris (Patrick Wilson) and Lisa Mattson (Kerry Washington) move in next door, Abel tips over the edge and becomes the bad cop neighbour from hell.
Director Neil LaBute (In the Company of Men) and his lead actors ensure the story doesn't become insulting to racial matters, both of relationships and of colour hatred, but after a great first two thirds of build up it, it then lacks the courage of its convictions, where taking the easy way out leaves a frustrating taste in the mouth.
It's still a viable and very watchable thriller, it just isn't bold enough come the finale. 6/10 -
hu67525 October 2008An strict father by the name of Abel Turner (Samuel L. Jackson) does his best rising his two kids (Regine Nehy and Jaishon Fisher) in a somewhat respected neighborhood. But Abel's world turns upside down, when an interracial couple (Patrick Wilson and Kerry Washington) moved next door to him. Which Abel thinks that one race like a white or black couple should be together. Now Abel will do anything to ruined the couples lives even if it comes to murder.
Directed by Neil LaBute (In the Company of Men, Nurse Betty, The Wicker Man "2006") made an highly entertaining movie. Jackson, Wilson and Washington offers first-rate performances. This movie is really an twisted black comedy than an actual thriller. The film is often very funny and tense.
The DVD has an clean anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1) transfer and an good Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. DVD has an running commentary track by the director and actress Washington. DVD also includes featurettes and deleted scenes with optional commentary by the director. "Lakeview Terrace" managed to be an box office hit but it could have been more if Sony marketed this movie right. It received mixed reviews by the film critics but so... in a way, it is matter of personal taste. It's certainly worth an look and it is one of my favorite movies of 2008. Don't miss it. Will Smith is one of the producers of this feature. Super 35. (**** ½/*****). -
When i saw the trailer for this movie i immediately compared it to "pacific heights" which stars Michael Keaton and is a favorite movie of mine, i am not a fan of Samuel L Jackson i have never really enjoyed his work and the few movies he has been in lately including "the cleaner" did not help my view on his acting, so going into this movie i was determined i would not like it and i was wrong , the first thing i want to clear up is this isn't like the movie i compared it to, it deals with racism but from the other end which i have never seen before in a movie, And secondly Samule L Jackson does great in this role as a cop with a grudge, the story is more than what you would think and the trailers did not give anything away, it is not a complicated movie with twists but it is a movie that is different from previous films with this type of aim. the fact that i am not a fan of Samuel L Jackson yet i praise him for this role shows how much quality this movie has. Patrick Wilson also does a great job , he is a good actor and its a good warm up role for people to know his face in his next role in "watchmen".
The rest of the cast do a good job in there supporting roles. This by far is not a movie that will win any Oscars but it is a movie that will entertain, i recommend it for a Saturday night in with drinks. A very entertaining thriller with great acting from its two leading actors. I hope my review was help full and if you get the chance to see this take it, because it will not disappoint. -
americaneagle2303 January 2009If you're a Samuel L. Jackson fan you'll probably watch this movie disregarding a good or bad review. I'm a fan and watched this movie with few expectations and thought it was a good movie worth watching at least once. Sam Jackson did a great job,and the other actors did well in their performances and meshed together really well. There are some great points in the movie that have quite a bit of tension and anger which was put across really well. This is of course not a work of art and has no moral to the story,but not all movies need to teach a lesson. What do you do when a racist,crazed cop lives next door and starts to harass you? I gave it a 6 out of 10. Good film with a decent premise,worth watching.
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MLDinTN31 July 2009a racist cop living next door. Sam Jackson plays the racist cop, Abel, and he plays the role quite well as usual. When inter racial couple, Chris and Lisa, move next door, it's quite obvious Abel does not approve. We find out later in the film that Abel suspected his late wife of having an affair with her white boss. At first, Abel seems like a concerned parent when he observes Chris and Lisa getting it on in their pool because his kids also have a view. However, he soon takes it too far beyond the annoyances such as bright lights and flat tires. In not so many words, he tells Chris he doesn't want him in his neighborhood. Things go too far when Abel hires a thug to break into Chris and Lisa's. Lisa goes home early and is attacked. Chris discovers Abel is the one whom hired the guy which leads to a final showdown in the midst of a neighborhood fire evacuation.
FINAL VERDICT: Sam Jackson is the only good actor in this. The story was so-so, and Abel never really goes psycho. I don't recommend it because there are other films out there out bad cops that are better.