In DreamWorks’ newestthriller, “Disturbia,” eventhe smallest suburbantown has its darkest hiddensecrets. Kale (ShiaLeBeouf) had the life everyteenager dreams of: endlessdays of eating junk food, playingvideo games, watching TV,and being in complete control.
An outgoing, sociable youngman, Kale lives in a small suburbantown with his tight-knitand happy family. After thedeath of his father, which hefeels partly responsible for, Kalebecomes sullen and withdrawn.
When his teacher mention’sKale’s dad, Kale loses his cooland reacts violently.Actress Carrie-Ann Mossportrays Kale’s mother Julie,who works two jobs to keepwhat is left of the familytogether but struggles constantlywith her son. Without thehelp of his mother, Kale wouldhave found himself behind bars.
But Kale has now lost somethingelse: his freedom. Acourtorderedhouse arrest leavesKale confined with nothing butboredom and his imagination.
Making the best of his spacially-challenged world, Kale’sinterests turn outside his suburbanhome and towards the livesof his neighbors. With surveillanceequipment, Kale beginsspying on his neighbors, specifically,an attractive blondenamed Ashley (Sarah Roemer),who soon enough begins tonotice Kale.
After Kale hears about themystery of a serial killer on thenews, Kale’s neighbor RobertTurner (David Morse) appearsstrikingly suspicious. After puttingclues together with Turner’ssecrets and the help of Ashleyand his best friend Ronnie(Aaron Yu), they begin the perilousadventure to discoverTurner’s disturbing truth hiddenwithin his house.
LeBouf’s raw-energy performanceas Kale showcases hisdramatic evolution from DisneyChannels’ Even Stevens to thechilling big screen. For one ofhis first major roles, LeBoufwas suspenseful and vigorouslycaptivating. Morse, an actorwith an honorable career, onceagain plays an appealing character,portraying a spine-thrillingTurner. Morse’s natural talent,alongside LeBouf’s engagingperformance, makes for terrificchemistry within the movie.
In some way or another, allthrillers seem to have the sameplot or scheme. However, thesimplicity in “Disturbia”branches away from the usualclich√©s as the plot comes alivewith new twists. And with thesounds of deep violins and eyecoveringscenes (although nottoo gruesome), “Disturbia” isguaranteed to have you jumpingout of your seats and anticipatingwhat will happen next.
Adding a mixture of humor andfun with slick suspense and awell-selected cast, “Disturbia”proves to be a teen thriller that isdefinitely more than you expect.