LAKEVIEW TERRACE (2008) MOVIE REVIEW - The Movie Messenger

Lakeview Terrace is a 2008 thriller directed by Neil Labute, who’s known mostly for his stage plays and his first film, In the Company of Men.

Abel Turner, played by Samuel L. Jackson, is a strict, overprotective father, who corrects his children’s grammar and in his house, he’s the law.  We learn that his wife is dead, and this little detail becomes much more entangled in the story when we learn more about Abel.  His world is disrupted when happy couple Chris (Patrick Wilson) and Lisa (Kerry Washington) move next door… an interracial couple. 

Chris and Lisa are excited about their life together in their new home, but Abel goes out of his way to make things difficult for them, becoming the neighbor from hell.  What could make matters worse?  Abel is also a police officer. 

The set-up to Lakeview Terrace is done extremely well.   We are interested in why Abel is the way he is, and why he is against his neighbor’s interracial marriage.  The depth of the film is that it also affects the marriage of Lisa and Chris.  Through their struggles dealing with Abel, their love and bond is tested when they learn things about one another that they don’t exactly like. 

The Acting is surprisingly good and keep the movie from going into B-movie status, because there are some scenes that are somewhat over the top, including toward the end, but Samuel L. Jackson and his supporting cast do an excellent job keeping things believable. 

Director Neil LaBute is known for his controversial subject matter, and although he didn’t write this film, he directs it well enough to keep the audience on its toes and to also question themselves.  What do I really think of interracial relationships?  Can we understand the rage behind Abel’s actions?  Once we learn why Abel is truly angry… we can almost understand him, although we don’t entirely agree with those actions.

Lakeview Terrace is out on DVD and Blu-Ray.  Pick it up.