Blu-Ray Review: LAKEVIEW TERRACE (Sony/Screen Gems)

Mike LoManaco

Professional Review by M. LoManaco on 06/30/09; Region 1 (U.S.) Release Tested

Studio Name: Sony/Screen Gems
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Disc/Transfer Information: 1080p High Definition, 2.40:1
Tested Audio Track: English Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Director: Neil LaBute
Starring Cast: Samuel L. Jackson, Patrick Wilson, Kerry Washington


WHAT COULD BE SAFER THAN LIVING NEXT TO A COP?



LoMANACO'S PLOT ANALYSIS:

I recently acquired Lakeview Terrace as a previously viewed Blu-ray and have added it to my collection, therefore propelling it into justifiable review territory from personal use and experience; however, the viewing of the Blu-ray was not my first experience with the tightly wound and kinetic thriller. I had seen this theatrically when it came out and found it to be one of those quick-to-the-senses but somewhat memorable pictures, much like Poseidon was. In other words, we're not talking award-winning film making here folks, but there was indeed some entertainment value to be had on some level.

Many have labeled -- quite accurately in some contexts -- the Will Smith co-produced Lakeview Terrace as a kind of Unlawful Entry "remake" or "re-imagining," taking the plot and pacing in a parallel subtext directly from that Kurt Russell/Ray Liotta drama actioneer. Much like that film, the story revolves its energy around a cop gone mad -- in both cases an LAPD cop -- and asks us to imagine what life would be like if a sick individual with that kind of power entered our lives because we would simply have no recourse...I mean, who do you call when you would normally call the police when you have a psycho cop on your ****? In that respect, both films passed the test of this paradigm with aggressively satisfying results. While at times dipping into borrowed themes from Training Day -- yet another look at a twisted, corrupt Los Angeles drug enforcement officer -- Lakeview Terrace holds its own when measured against, say, Unlawful Entry. While Liotta's acting charisma and energy carried that film, we have Samuel L. Jackson (always a great character actor when called into duty) to thank for the taut, nail-biting, character-hating performance which he treats us to in Terrace.

To be honest, I don't know what Terrace would have been without Jackson's input; it's his racist cop which pins the film with tension and emotion, grinding us to the point that we want to jump into our screens a la Videodrome and strangle the ****. You know, Jackson just plays a multitude of characters so high and low, good and bad, that it's difficult to say which he plays best -- he is, in my opinion, one of the most underrated performers of our time, and from Star Wars to Die Hard with a Vengeance and from Against the Wall to The Negotiator, Jules just rules.

He doesn't do the bad guy thing very often though -- the last time I saw him "villain" it up effectively was in the HBO Films telling of the Attica prison riot in New York in Against the Wall in which he played a violent black revolutionary -- but here he was just chillingly convincing. So convincing, to a degree, that you become edgy and very uncomfortable with the character in a short amount of time. Where Ray Liotta had "issues with women" that weren't totally explained in Unlawful Entry, Jackson's LAPD character in Terrace is explained in a backstory involving his wife who was killed in a car crash and in which he blames her being in the car with a white man during the accident for the entire downward spiral of his. With opening shots of a hillside Southern California town, Terrace introduces us to a bi-racial newlywed couple just moving into a house on a coul-de-sac in this town, played by Patrick Wilson (Passengers) and Kerry Washington. Wilson is up to his neck in "racial stress" in that Washington's father doesn't really approve of his daughter marrying a white guy, and now he's introduced to one of the most disturbing, psychotic and racially charged police officers the LAPD has seen since the Rodney King incident, "Abel," played by Jackson. From the minute Washington and Wilson get their boxes into their new house and Jackson spots this bi-racial couple frolicking next to their new pool from his window, there's trouble.

Jackson plays the race-hating Abel so well, it's almost embarrassing to recoil and realize he's one of the nicest guys in Hollywood; the first night in their new house brings Washington and Wilson face to face with Jackson's blinding security lights of his home -- which is right next door -- and it's clear the "battle" is on. Jackson's cop character is standoffish with Wilson, ignoring, to a degree, any attempts to be friendly and neighborly; in fact, Jackson's first attempt at communication with Wilson is through a fake parking ticket placed on Wilson's Toyota Prius warning him about parking correctly on the street.

What eventually sets Jackson's character off is a sequence in which he catches his kids peering through their window as they watch Washington and Wilson make love in their pool next door -- the character at this point essentially cracks, and little threatening comments are made to Wilson on a constant basis...comments about not belonging in this neighborhood, comments about his wife being black...unsettling comments in general. When Wilson and Washington throw a housewarming party for their new neighbors at their pool, Jackson shows up and his character's true colors are displayed when he gets into a dispute with another couple there regarding police work and their safety. It's obvious this guy is angry and not really playing with a full deck -- but we're not really tipped off to why or what's behind this rage...is he just a basic racist? What is it about mixed couples he hates so?

The questions and mystery behind Jackson's Abel character are exposed and answered when Jackson confronts Wilson in a local bar after a "cutting down of hedges with a chainsaw" match between the men takes place in their backyards; Jackson, over a few shots of liquor, tells Wilson the story about how his wife was killed in a head-on car crash and was in the car with a white man when they found her...this has somehow sent his character into a mental breakdown of sorts, racially driving each and every one of his actions now. He doesn't understand why white guys always say "whatever..." and get away with "doing whatever they damn well please" and such, and his anger is now pointed at Wilson and his wife. As Jackson says it in the film at some point during that bar scene, Wilson simply picked the wrong block to move onto at the wrong time...because of Jackson's feelings now.

Feelings and antics between the two men continue to escalate throughout the film, and at one point, after he is reprimanded for using excessive force by internal affairs, Jackson hosts a bachelor party for a fellow cop. With three gorgeous strippers grinding around in black pleated mini skirt cop uniforms and music blasting, Wilson and Washington can't sleep -- in a not-so-wise move, Wilson storms over to Abel's house and demands they turn the music down. Jackson's Abel, in always plotting ways to set Wilson up for something, promises to stop the music after the strippers have their way with the groom to be. But in doing so, Jackson gets Wilson involved in a steamy dance by one of the strippers, which leads to these cops at the party kicking his **** and throwing him out of the house. What's worse, a DVD recording of Wilson enjoying his "dance" with the stripper at the party is sent to his wife.

In the middle are Abel's kids, who are also victims of the character's unstable rules and tantrums; when they are caught in Wilson's swimming pool without his permission, Jackson's character pretty much comes apart. A subplot also emerges involving a fat wigger from the ghetto Jackson's character patrols, and a plan to have him break into the couple's house while they're at a party next door with him. As the surrounding California neighborhood decays into spreading wildfires and Wilson and Jackson's block is evacuated, a final confrontation between Wilson and Jackson is set up after Wilson discovers the intruder's cell phone in his house...and that Jackson's cell number was the last to be dialed from it.

What's interesting to note about Lakeview Terrace is that all the way through to the end -- even with Wilson's character's pleads to make nice and be friendly -- Jackson's angry, racist cop stands firm and never changes who he is. There's no sudden realizing of behavior gone wrong; there's no turning over a new leaf for this cop. To the very end, he was willing to sacrifice his own life in order to "prove a point" to this white neighbor of his, and Wilson's character was willing to defend his position that him and his wife have a right to live there...even if it meant his own life or the life of Abel.

LAKEVIEW TERRACE REVIEW CONTINUED BELOW...

Mike LoManaco

LAKEVIEW TERRACE REVIEW CONTINUED...

VIDEO QUALITY:

This was a very tough one to judge because the 2.40:1 1080p transfer from Sony/Screen Gems -- in conjunction with Will Smith's Overbrook Entertainment -- didn't look all that great, yet it didn't look bad, either. Outdoor scenes were bright and lush with saturated greens in the plants and palm trees, and there was little grain, yet at the same time, some sequences collapsed into softness. Depth and detail showed themselves during the outdoor sequences mainly, such as moments when Jackson and Wilson walked the neighborhood -- these sequences showed a very nice composition in terms of detail enhancement and clarity of the visuals. Yet, at certain points, the 2.40:1 image looked a bit washed out and flat; this was not the majority of the transfer, but it existed.

As I mentioned, there was a bit of film grain running in the background of the transfer, but it wasn't distracting to the point that I would fault it -- perhaps lower sharpness settings on displays can curb this even further (mine is at a level of "28" out of "100").

Let me say this: Nothing really looks as bad as the trailer for Close Encounters which adorns every Sony BD release -- that clip from the film is absolutely riddled and bogged down with a staticky, snowy grain which looks horrifying.

AUDIO QUALITY:

Two things stood out in my mind during my evaluation of this English TrueHD track, decoded by my player into multichannel PCM: Lack of punch and energy during shootout sequences and explosions of any kind, and a ridiculous use of surround cues for helicopter fly-bys. As I have been finding with almost all new BD releases equipped with a Dolby TrueHD track, dialogue wasn't appropriately mixed in relation to the rest of the action -- it seemed to be buried low in that center channel. This wasn't as bad as the effect on Dark Knight's TrueHD mix, yet what I found was that mainly helicopter flying effects were the main elements in the surround channels. An occasional bullet made its way into the back soundstage during shootout scenes, but for the most part, the rear was dominated by helicopter audio.

It was a bit of a letdown, though, that there wasn't more LFE on this track, especially during gunshots -- these scenes came across lifeless and hollow.

SUMMARY:

Not Oscar material here, but an entertaining thriller that is definitely rewatchable. The racial themes take a toll after about an hour in, but Lakeview Terrace was indeed enjoyable. If you liked Unlawful Entry, this is a modern "take" on the subject explored there.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

As I mentioned, it's definitely rewatchable, but I would recommend trying to get this used, as I did, for a good price because while a decent film, I don't think it's worth the asking price for a new Blu-ray. Also, the rating for this is PG-13, but between the racial themes and the stripper sequence, plus some "F**k yous" from the characters, it may be iffy.

As always, friends, thank you for reading, and please fire away with any commentary!

Mike LoManaco

EDIT:

Since the edit feature is locked after a certain period of time, I am making adjustments this way; below is the proper artwork for the BD cover of this title:



I also wanted to add under the Audio Quality analysis that there were a plethora of cues utilized which emulated the sounds of barking dogs in the distance of this neighborhood portrayed in the film; it was as effective as the helicopter fly-bys.

Thank you everyone, and my apologies for the corrections.