Disturbia (2007) - Film Review

Imagine being under house arrest, bored out of your mind and with nothing to do but spy on the other residents in the quiet suburban street on which you reside. Now imagine having an over-active imagination, seeing one of your neighbours acting strangely, and all the while hearing on the news about a missing woman. Of course!! He did it; he’s a mass murderer stacking up bodies in his basement!! This is the conclusion jumped to by stir-crazy Kale Brecht (Shia LaBeouf) in D.J Caruso’s 2007 thriller DISTURBIA. Only ever being shown enough to keep us guessing; we are right with him in his quest for the truth. Question is, is he simply a bored teenager with cabin-fever and a hyper-active imagination. Or is there something sinister afoot in suburbia?

After his father is killed in a car accident, likable Kale is finding life tough; he assaults his Spanish teacher and ends up under house arrest, lonely, bored and frustrated. Spending his days building his ‘Twinkie tower’ and peeping in on his neighbours lives, he soon
becomes fixated with two things; his new neighbour, the gorgeous Ashley (Sarah Roemer), and his other neighbour the elusive Mr Turner (David Morse). With the help of his reluctant cohorts, the beautiful Ashley and his bumbling best friend Ronnie (Aaron Yoo), Kale is on a mission to prove that quiet and unassuming Mr Turner is actually a cold and calculating killer. Being confined within the boundaries of his garden, this will prove to be quite a task.

With definite similarities to Hitchcock’s Rear Window and the 1989 film The Burbs, Disturbia’s storyline isn’t the most original idea. But the intoxicating mix of tension, humour and fear make it feel fresh and exciting. Perfectly cast and with a music score designed to build pressure, Disturbia is a nervy and often heart-pounding film. Not the most memorable, certainly no great award winner, and definitely not ground-breaking; Disturbia is simple well-told entertainment.

No need to concentrate too hard, it’s not complicated or hard work. Disturbia is just good fun. Grab the popcorn and candy, take a seat and enjoy. But be warned, the curtain twitchers among you might start to see the quiet bloke down the street in a whole new light.

DISTURBIA (2007) Director: D. J Caruso. Writers: Christopher B. Landon, Carl Ellsworth (screenplay), Christopher B Landon (story). Cast: Shia LaBeouf, Sarah Roemer, Carrie-Anne Moss, David Morse, Aaron Yoo, Jose Pablo Cantillo.

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