Disturbia

Up and coming celebrity Shia LaBeouf sure is making a name for himself in the movie business. Starting out as a troublemaking teenager gracing cable televisions across the country in the Disney sitcom 'Even Stevens', it wasn't long before Shia found his calling on the bigscreen with blockbusters including 'Constantine', 'I, Robot', and 'Holes'. Then comes 'Disturbia', a film I thought came out of nowhere. I mean, I hadn't heard of this flick a week prior to its release. Being the movie fanatic I am and sensing nothing good in theaters at the time, I found myself front and center at a four o'clock showing for the film. I went in with the expectation of doing nothing but running back and forth for refills of my oversized Coke, but to my surprise I only made the trip to the concession stand once. I was exceptionally satisfied with the outcome of 'Disturbia'. Being a teen driven version of Hitchcock's 'Rear Window', the film still had a slight edge of originality.

The story follows a young man, Kale, who is trying to overcome the death of his father due to a fatal automobile accident. In the process, he hits his teacher which gets puts him under house arrest. Growing bored with turning Twinkies into Lincoln Logs and playing video games, Kale finds entertainment in spying on his neighbors through a pair of binnoculars. His observing seems harmless at first, but when he thinks he witnesses one of his neighbors murdering a woman, things grow out of control. Kale tries to convince his mother and the police that what he saw was real all the while trying to prevent the madman from causing harm to he and his loved ones.

I would be lying if I said the first half of the film wasn't difficult to sit through, but when the film is finally over I know the extended set up was necessary. In the end, 'Disturbia' becomes a fast paced game of cat and mouse where we're not sure who will be declared the victim, Kale or the killer.

Shia's performance was well delivered and surprisingly buyable. I wasn't a huge fan of his back in his 'Even Stevens' turn, but his job in 'Disturbia' was a pleasant surprise. I wasn't entirely focused with the other actors' performances, but I did find David Morse's role to be quite satisfying as well. He nailed the creepy personality and delivered an unsettling presence throughout the entire runtime.

I thought the direction was very pleasing as well. D.J. Caruso wasn't a familiar name in my book, but he'll definitely be one to watch as his career as a director progesses.

Like I said before and I'll say it again, the story wasn't entirely original since it was basically the same premise as 'Rear Window', but it was still fresh and full of surprises.

Overall, 'Disturbia' is a fast paced thrillride that is sure to please people of all ages. There's humor, violence, and tons of jumps and scares that are sure to please any fan of the genre.