2008 Woodie Awards
'Disturbia' story average, usual
Cliche plot hinders excellent acting, overall atmosphere
Shea Scott
Issue date: 5/1/07 Section: Arts & Entertainment
For Kale (Shia LaBeouf), an average fun-loving high school student, summer vacation has turned out to be a nightmare.
His life gets complicated when an incident at school lands him under house arrest for the summer.
A tracking monitor attached to his leg alerts authorities the second Kale crosses the designated perimeter around his house.
While confined, Kale finds abstract ways of passing the time, and eventually takes up spying on his neighbors, including Ashley (Sarah Roemer), an attractive blonde, who moves into the house next door.
One day a mysteriously private neighbor named Mr. Turner (David Morse) raises Kale's suspicions when he observes strange behavior between Turner and a female companion.
Kale begins to think that Turner may be a serial killer from another state that was never caught.
While those around him doubt Turner's guilt, Kale becomes more and more convinced as he looks through his binoculars.
Kale's story in the latest release "Disturbia" is a new take on an old story.
In many ways the film is a modern version of Alfred Hitchcock's 1954 film, "Rear Window."
The most interesting aspect of the film is Kale himself, as he tests the limits of his confinement and gets to know all of the subtle nuances of his suburban neighborhood.
This understanding develops in the first half of the movie so thrill-seeking moviegoers looking for mind games and edge-of-the-seat suspense have to wait until the second half of the movie.
The movie really gets unoriginal toward the end as the mystery of Turner unravels.
The plot takes the same twists that have been seen before.
There are some false police alarms where Kale comes off looking like a lunatic, as well as the typical scenes where everyone abandons him because he is seemingly obsessed with Turner. Kale's story is far more interesting.
LaBeouf gives a wonderful performance as the confined Kale. He is very believable and makes Kale a rather likable guy. His acting career has exploded in recent years with roles in "Constantine," "Bobby" and "Transformers," the latter set for release this summer.
His life gets complicated when an incident at school lands him under house arrest for the summer.
A tracking monitor attached to his leg alerts authorities the second Kale crosses the designated perimeter around his house.
While confined, Kale finds abstract ways of passing the time, and eventually takes up spying on his neighbors, including Ashley (Sarah Roemer), an attractive blonde, who moves into the house next door.
One day a mysteriously private neighbor named Mr. Turner (David Morse) raises Kale's suspicions when he observes strange behavior between Turner and a female companion.
Kale begins to think that Turner may be a serial killer from another state that was never caught.
While those around him doubt Turner's guilt, Kale becomes more and more convinced as he looks through his binoculars.
Kale's story in the latest release "Disturbia" is a new take on an old story.
In many ways the film is a modern version of Alfred Hitchcock's 1954 film, "Rear Window."
The most interesting aspect of the film is Kale himself, as he tests the limits of his confinement and gets to know all of the subtle nuances of his suburban neighborhood.
This understanding develops in the first half of the movie so thrill-seeking moviegoers looking for mind games and edge-of-the-seat suspense have to wait until the second half of the movie.
The movie really gets unoriginal toward the end as the mystery of Turner unravels.
The plot takes the same twists that have been seen before.
There are some false police alarms where Kale comes off looking like a lunatic, as well as the typical scenes where everyone abandons him because he is seemingly obsessed with Turner. Kale's story is far more interesting.
LaBeouf gives a wonderful performance as the confined Kale. He is very believable and makes Kale a rather likable guy. His acting career has exploded in recent years with roles in "Constantine," "Bobby" and "Transformers," the latter set for release this summer.
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