Spy vs. Spy
Thrillers observe life through glass darkly
By John Larsen 04/19/2007
Ever since the Jones family moved in next door, man has been curious whether the grass is greener on the other side. So we deliver a cake with a warm but somewhat apprehensive smile, hoping to get a lay of the land. If we’re lucky, strangers become neighbors, neighbors become friends, and all is well on Maple Drive. Until a sap moves in, drying up the well of goodwill, turning neighbors into strangers and spies.
Disturbia, an update of Rear Window, and Red Road, a haunting Scottish drama, examine the human condition through a glass darkly. Both films cleverly distance the protagonists from the villains, forcing them to sit and watch as events unfold in front of them.
Disturbia features an extremely likable protagonist in Shia LaBeouf, who plays Kale, a young man dealing with the unexpected death of his father. After a teacher punches his buttons by referencing his father, Kale punches him out. Sentenced to three months of monitored home arrest, Kale attempts to make the best of a bad situation.
After his concerned mother (Carrie-Ann Moss) disconnects his virtual and online diversions, Kale passes time spying on his neighbors. Forgetting that curiosity killed the cat, Kale focuses his sights on mysterious neighbor Mr. Turner (Davis Morse), who fits the profile of a suspected serial killer.
Confined to his property by an ankle bracelet, Kale relies on best friend Ronnie (Aaron Yoo) and new girl on the block Ashley (Sarah Roemer) to do his leg work. What begins as morbid curiosity escalates into a deadly battle of wits, with Kale constantly testing the patience of his mother and the police as he tries to prove Turner is a killer.
Writers Christopher B. Landon and Carl Ellsworth do an admirable job of updating Rear Window for the digital age. Even though some of their plotting is clumsy, they effectively create characters and situations which keep our attention. LaBeouf elicits genuine concern as a young Jimmy Stewart, playing another character whose actions are limited by leg restraints. Kale is more reticent than rebellious, until his pursuit becomes personal, and that is when LaBeouf shines. There is sincerity in his desperation.
Director D.J. Caruso honors Rear Window but opens a few doors of his own. What lies waiting on the other side gives the film unexpected urgency and energy. Fans of Rear Window will know where Disturbia is headed, but will be surprised by the ride.
Currently playing in limited release, Red Road also deals with characters spending their time watching other people. Written and directed by Andrea Arnold as the first feature in the new Advance Party Series (different films, different directors, same characters), Red Road stars Kate Dickie as Jackie, employed as a surveillance officer for a North Glasgow security firm.
Like Kale, Jackie is a voyeur by circumstance: Her job is to scan banks of monitors as they record every street and alley in the city. Even though Jackie has never met any of the people she monitors, they have become her extended family. She follows their every move, knows their habits, and experiences life through them. Her only human contact is a quick tryst in a company van, leaving Jackie an empty shell of a woman.
When Jackie spots Clyde (Tony Curran) on one of her monitors, his presence opens old wounds and forces the recluse to come out of her shell and face her past. At first, we’re not sure what relationship Jackie and Clyde share. But when she starts following him, we immediately suspect there is bad blood between the two.
Arnold takes her time arriving at the answer, but the friction she creates between the characters — both real and imagined — keeps us glued to our seats. Jackie’s job perfectly reflects the opening tone of Red Road, a slow and meticulous drama fueled by unnerving suspense. Initially, we don’t know what to expect — so many monitors, so many possibilities. Like a tech-age peeping Tom, Jackie zooms in and follows citizens as they go about their daily routines. We, too, find ourselves glued to the monitors, hoping to see any abnormality.
Clyde’s arrival turns Red Road from an observational drama into an interactive exploration of revenge, sexual repression and forgiveness. The seduction in Red Road is so graphic, so real, you honestly feel like a voyeur. Like the characters, by the time the film has completed its dance, we feel exhausted. Dickie and Curran are brave actors, willing to explore and expose the complexities of their characters on every level.
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