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Disturbia

6/10

Stars: Shia LaBeouf, Sarah Roemer, David Morse, Carrie-Anne Moss, Aaron Yoo, Matt Craven, Amanda Walsh

Director: D J Caruso

A junior league combination of The Boy Who Cried Wolf and Rear Window, this lacks the writing skills of the latter, features an initially annoying character and, despite a super-scary scene in a garage, only really gets going in an exciting last 20 minutes.

Kale (LaBeouf) is a teen with issues. His father was killed in a crash and, although it was the fault of the roadhog in front, Kale was driving (under age). A year later, his mother (Moss) has adapted pretty well, but Kale is still angry, refusing to work at school and punching his teacher out at the mere mention of his father.

Unsurprisingly given three months' 'house arrest', Kale whiles the time away in the junkheap he calls his room by spying on his neighbours - the wife who is having an affair, the new girl (Roemer) next door and suspicious white-haired Mr Turner (Morse) the other side.

Spotting a dent on the man's car, Kale connects it to a recent kidnap and serial killing spree and assumes Turner is the killer. Naturally he's correct, but no one will listen to him, especially the police, called when he exceeds the bounds of his home. Finally, with the help of his excitable and equally irritating friend (Yoo), Kale accidentally stumbles across proof of Turner's guilt.

Turner acts, but Kale has the bright idea of fetching the police by setting his 'leg alarm' off, though you know the cop who responds is doomed, notably when he foolishly fails to call for back-up.

LaBeouf gives his largely tedious and unsympathetic character as much charisma as he can, but Roemer isn't much and seems too mature for our teen hero. Morse hits all the expected notes as the softly-spoken killer.

We're meant to believe, though, that LaBeouf wouldn't recognise the 6ft 4in actor leaving home disguised as his latest female victim. Hmm.

David Quinlan

USA 2007. UK Distributor: Paramount. Colour by deluxe.
104 minutes. Not widescreen. UK certificate: 15.

Guidance ratings (out of 3): Sex/nudity 1, Violence/Horror 2, Drugs 0, Swearing 1.

Review date: 10 Sep 2007