Samuel L. Jackson lifts the formulaic “Lakeview Terrace” beyond its pulp roots - with some help.
Director Neil LaBute (”In the Company of Men”) didn’t write “Terrace,” but his prickly stamp is all over each scene.
The new thriller casts Jackson as a burned-out cop who gives his new neighbors fits. The film’s racial components are flipped - this time it’s the black cop who’s racist.
My Washington Times review shares my appreciation for what should have been a forgettable thriller. Instead, it’s a nail-biter you won’t feel guilty embracing.
(Photo: Samuel L. Jackson patrols his neighborhood, and his neighbor’s interracial romance, in the new thriller “Lakeview Terrace.”)
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Deb 10.19.08 at 12:40 pm
Awful boring predictable movie
cftoto 10.19.08 at 12:50 pm
Sorry it didn’t work for you, Deb. I readily admit the movie wrapped in a very conventional (and predictable) fashion, but found it rather entertaining along the way. The racial politics alone intrigued me - a spin on bias you don’t see often in theaters.
I appreciate you checking in with your thoughts.