MOVIE REVIEW - Lakeview Terrace

Samuel L. Jackson stars in this weeks big debut at the box office the thriller, Lakeview Terrace. I will start by giving you this little tid-bit. Samuel L. Jackson has never been better. Intrigued? Read on.

The story is simple enough, Chris and Lisa are a young bi-racial couple that move into the upscale subdivision, Lakeview Terrace in Southern California. Their next door neighbor is Able Turner a Los Angeles cop, whose been on the job for 28 years. Able is a rough, tough egomaniac street cop with serious baggage on and off the job. He is a complex guy, a single parent, a control freak, and a conniving, manipulative scary individual. He uses his police power in every aspect of his life. Turner decides that he hates the idea of Chris and Lisa living next door, and goes out of his way to terrorize them at every turn, in an effort to get them to move.

The story really doesn't vary much from that basic premise, although Chris and Lisa make about 5,000 terrible decisions during LT, they really don't deserve the terror that is brought upon them. No one does. You may find yourself yelling at the screen a few times, wondering how stupid they really are, but all is forgivable because of Jackson's stellar performance.

Jackson was seemingly born to play this role, and LT, does not work without him. I can't imagine anyone else playing this leading role. Able Turner is scary, and sympathetic at the same time. LT relies heavily on Jackson to deliver, and he does. I will tell you this movie is compelling, and moves long at at nice pace. Don't worry about anyone else in this movie, because at the end of the day, Jackson is hook, line and sinker. It's his movie and he is terrific!


You may have not been moved to see Lakeview Terrace from the trailers. This movie I feel was packaged poorly. To me, 2 months ago it looked like some throw away late summer flick, but LT was a big surprise to me. Jackson alone is worth the price of a ticket. Great adult thriller, no problem here. Lakeview Terrace, Samuel L. Jackson makes it a real winner!