Rising star-of-the-moment Shia LaBeouf plays Kale, a teenager who receives the ultimate grounding house arrest with a security bracelet on his ankle. He can't leave his house or the immediate surroundings. Bored and depressed (he's also recovering from the shock of his father's death), he slouches around the house until he finds a hobby spying on his neighbours with his telescope. When he begins to witness shady goings-on in neighbour David Morse's house across the street, he suspects he may have stumbled onto a murder mystery. With the help of his best friend and the cute girl-next-door, Kale sets out in search of answers.
Disturbia has been billed a "Hitchcockian thriller". Sure, there are shades of Hitchcock's 1954 masterpiece, Rear Window but that's only because this teen thriller is a barely-disguised rip-off (the studio would no doubt say "homage") of that film. Director D.J. Caruso is no Hitchcock. He mishandles many scenes, relying on cheap scare tactics and rushing scene transitions so that any chance of lingering suspense never reaches a pay-off. The pacing is effective for the first half of the film, but things get increasingly fumbled as it wears on. The overall shift in pace from slow build-up to the finale's blundering version of a PG-rated horror (dark shadows, darker basements, slasher-lite non-deaths) particularly jars.
The script does have some witty, knowing lines ("That's 30 gigs of my life," Kale says at one point of his iPod) and a general up-to-the-minute overview of modern teen culture (Xbox Live and iTunes are LaBeouf's fellow housebound pals till his mother cuts them both off). But otherwise the script is weak and riddled with holes. The characterisation is thin. David Morses's villain is never properly sketched out his reasons, motives, etc. Perhaps this was an attempt to make him seem creepier by virtue of being an enigma, but it doesn't work. The cast does their best. LaBeouf equips himself quite well and David Morse as the villain is the most effective, all hard stares and cold eyes, in a reasonably creepy role. And yes, that is The Matrix's Carrie Anne Moss as Kale's mother.
The film will please many with its quick pace, overall trendiness, snappy soundtrack, and hip cast. But beneath the surface gloss, this thriller has little suspense, few surprises, and no genuine scares. Ultimately, Disturbia's title is edgier than the film itself.
Disturbia has been billed a "Hitchcockian thriller". Sure, there are shades of Hitchcock's 1954 masterpiece, Rear Window but that's only because this teen thriller is a barely-disguised rip-off (the studio would no doubt say "homage") of that film. Director D.J. Caruso is no Hitchcock. He mishandles many scenes, relying on cheap scare tactics and rushing scene transitions so that any chance of lingering suspense never reaches a pay-off. The pacing is effective for the first half of the film, but things get increasingly fumbled as it wears on. The overall shift in pace from slow build-up to the finale's blundering version of a PG-rated horror (dark shadows, darker basements, slasher-lite non-deaths) particularly jars.
The script does have some witty, knowing lines ("That's 30 gigs of my life," Kale says at one point of his iPod) and a general up-to-the-minute overview of modern teen culture (Xbox Live and iTunes are LaBeouf's fellow housebound pals till his mother cuts them both off). But otherwise the script is weak and riddled with holes. The characterisation is thin. David Morses's villain is never properly sketched out his reasons, motives, etc. Perhaps this was an attempt to make him seem creepier by virtue of being an enigma, but it doesn't work. The cast does their best. LaBeouf equips himself quite well and David Morse as the villain is the most effective, all hard stares and cold eyes, in a reasonably creepy role. And yes, that is The Matrix's Carrie Anne Moss as Kale's mother.
The film will please many with its quick pace, overall trendiness, snappy soundtrack, and hip cast. But beneath the surface gloss, this thriller has little suspense, few surprises, and no genuine scares. Ultimately, Disturbia's title is edgier than the film itself.