“Lakeview Terrace” – 6/10

Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Patrick Wilson, Kerry Washington

The Plot: Abel Turner (Jackson), an LAPD cop, has very strict opinions on everything, especially when it comes to his children and his job. When Chris (Wilson) and Lisa Mattson (Washington), an interracial couple, move in next door to Turner, he begins to harass them, while the couple refuses to move out of their new home.

The Good: Samuel L. Jackson shined in this film. The energy that exudes from his character is amazing. Whether he’s beating up civilians, yelling at his children or simply hassling the neighbors, Jackson proves to be a brilliant authoritative character.

Some of the things that Turner does to his neighbors are unspeakable crimes that leave you shaking your head. After seeing some of trouble he puts the Mattson’s through, most people will breathe a sigh of relief that their neighbors aren’t as bad.

The Bad: The film is quite predictable and if you’ve seen the trailers, then you know exactly what is going to happen.

Granted, the film throws a few curveballs, but they fall short. Instead of elaborating on the interesting subplots, the predictable storyline continued.

In general, the characters were not well-developed and did not stand out. Undoubtedly, Jackson’s character was an exception to this statement, as his was well-cast and played exceptionally well.

Wilson’s character seemed to blossom, but he never really grows. Apparently he loves to listen to rap, smoke cigarettes and feels that his father-in-law hates him because of his race, but compared to Jackson’s character, Wilson’s is extremely undeveloped.

Washington’s character is a whole different story.

Her high-pitched, obnoxious voice counteracts with her spunky attitude and she doesn’t seem to give off a good vibe to her neighbors or even her husband.

There’s one scene where you see her looking at a screen of animated figures, presumably job-related, and she talks about quitting her job, but it’s never explained what she does for a living.

The Lowdown: If you realize you have two hours to spare, go see this movie.

For being a PG-13 rated thriller, it’s above decent.

The good scenes are excellent and intense, while the bad are very corny and predictable.

The movie is not anything to write home about, but “Lakeview Terrace” is not a total waste either.