Disturbia (2007)

Links: IMDb * Wikipedia * AllMovie * Rotten Tomatoes

Premise: A grieving teenager under house arrest discovers that a serial killer may be living next door.

Stars: Shia LaBeouf * Sarah Roemer * Carrie-Anne Moss * David Morse

Review: A taut modernization of the classic Rear Window with Cary Grant and Grace Kelly. Kale (LaBeouf) is under house arrest after punching a teacher who provoked him. He and a friend spy on a new neighbor, Ashley (Roemer) and start watching another neighbor, Turner (Morse) who may or may not be a serial killer. When caught spying by Ashley, she decides to join their duo and they undertake a lot of effort to find out what Turner is up to. Several clues lead them to confront the killer, who convinces the cops that Kale is the problem. Turner decides to use the snooping Kale as the fall guy to remove all of them from the picture.

LaBeouf is consistently proving himself as a young actor. The dynamic set up by the plot with his friends and Turner, as well as his own dealing with the loss of his father (in a car accident Kale believes he's responsible for) are portrayed with great skill by the young actor. Roemer and Aaron Yoo (his friend Ronnie) are great foils as the love interest and the best friend. The music in the film does not overpower the acting, making for a nice combination when it comes to pushing the movie along.

Easily recommended.

Overall: Good