First Hit: Samuel Jackson gives an intense performance and left me thinking I wouldn't want him to be my adversary or neighbor.
There are different aspects which make this film a thriller. Primarily it is the performance of Samuel Jackson as Able. He can be creepy, sarcastic, and vengeful.
Being a 28 year veteran on the LA South Central police force who has recently lost his wife allows him to give us a brooding controlling man who is deeply troubled. His new neighbors are Lisa (Kerry Washington) and Chris (Patrick Wilson) are mixed race couple, and for some reason Able has an issue with them. He shines bright spotlights into their bedroom, makes racist comments, and, as only Jackson can, gives intense looks of intimidation and power when he speaks to (and at) his new neighbors.
The racist issues are highlighted when Able tells Chris how his wife died in a car crash with a white man when she was suppose to be at work. However, there are other issues as well including the intimidating attitude which policemen use.
During a housewarming party Lisa and Chris give, one of their guests brings this up to Able and he immediately proves her point through power and intimidation.
Jackson is very powerful and gives some of the best, intense looks seen on the screen this year. However, I didn’t sense a buildup in the film as it moved along because Jackson is so intense early on. I didn’t think Washington and Wilson were well matched and the response to her being pregnant didn’t unfold well, it seemed too mixed. What really didn’t work about this couple was, the way their fights started and in the next scene they seemed to be OK. What was their mechanism for resolving their disagreements?
Overall: Jackson is worth seeing but the film was mediocre as a thriller.