A troubled and racist African-American L.A.P.D. officer will stop at nothing to force out a friendly interracial couple who just moved in next door to him.
What could be safer than living next to a cop? Welcome to Lakeview Terrace.
Lakeview Terrace Movie Review
Lakeview Terrace is now out on DVD (having missed it when it was in the cinema). The film stars Samuel L. Jackson as Abel Turner an LAPD cop with an attitude, and Patrick Wilson as Chris Mattson who moves next door to Abel Turner along with his black wife Lisa played by Kerry Washington.
Abel Turner has a problem with the fact that he is white and his wife is black. Able tries to intimidate the new neighbours into moving, through a series of psychological tricks and tactics.
The film is very well produced as for a while at the start of the film you can see why Abel has a problem with his neighbours, including some sexual antics in the pool which was observed by Abel’s kids. You can see that Abel is trying to bring up his kids right – and perhaps his tactics are warranted.
The overall plot is very well worked and without spoiling the plot, Abel loses it and becomes a man obsessed with getting rid of them.
Lakeview Terrace is actually the name of the area where the famous Rodney King beatings were ‘allegedly’ made by L.A. police in 1991. His name and famous line, “Can’t we all just get along?” is also referenced in the movie.
Excellent plot, a great twist, and a great ending. Well worth renting. The only downside is that the couple who move in, don’t really deserve each other – I didn’t really care what happened to them as the characters are not that likable.
This was the type of movie that may not be right up my alley. I tend to steer clear of the more serious, drama-style movies, but really this was a gripping and dark movie that had a decent script and kept you watching throughout. The one thing I would say is quite disappointing is the ending. It just stops and there is no commentary or message at the end of the movie. Overall, I would recommend the film as there are only a few areas in which I was disappointed and I’m sure you will enjoy Lakeview Terrace. If you have watched it please leave a comment below.
Running time: 110 mins
View the Official IMDB review for Lakeview Terrace
Overall: 8/10
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