Such a frustrating disappointment

A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

More of a quick thought summary after just watching it a few minutes ago than a professional astro turf review (apologise for bad English as it is not my 1st language):This movie proves why IMDb ratings are a joke for any genre outside of Drama and non-slapstick Comedy movies. Amazed the budget was so low for this project.My expectations were lowered thinking it to be an average gore flick. The movie draws you in and you care for the characters.. hardly any overacting, females are shown to be neither completely weak damsels nor Mary Sue Goddesses .. they got the balance right and reactions were very realistic. Pretty cool concept well executed and not butchered by the ending as happens so often. Although very subtle we find out towards the end that there are more layers to what meets the eye. Hope they make a sequel as they left room for it.My only complain is that they could've upped the violence a BIT (not too much like Eli Roth) as it is more of a thriller. The duration is perfect - no point watching a 100-120 minute movie, too much downside with that route.Finally - even though I am not a Yank or even political - thank you for not taking any ethnic swipes towards Southerners in general as happens so often in Hollywood.Big Thank you to Director, actors and everyone who was involved with the project. Perfect Friday night movie given the budget :)

There were many opportunities throughout the movie to make the 'neighbor' more mysterious, more freaky, and more cunning, but these were quickly abandoned in favor of a more clichéd criminal. That is my largest disappointment with this film. Otherwise, it worked well as an action/thriller.The protagonists are caught up in a mob's smuggling operation, and they use a telescope to spy at people through the window. One day, the girlfriend (Who, I assume by the hero's subsequent panic is never supposed to leave the house) spots something incriminating and is nabbed by the neighbor. (Yes, this is the actual premise of the film, not the more innocent summaries I have read elsewhere. I don't know why they bother hiding the fact that their protagonists are criminals too).So everybody, who is incidentally criminal, is trying to get one up on each other by sleuthing, tackling, slashing, shooting and your usual hijinks. The movie has good photography, good soundtrack, and is a bit gritty - kind of like the only quality everybody seems to need to survive.

Won't win any awards for most original screenplay but it was still pretty well-made and for the more part fast-paced thriller (at least the second half).'Don't Breathe' is one of my favorites so far of 2016 and this is a bit similar to that (a criminal couple vs a old guy) although not as great of course but still good enough. Imagine if Rob Zombie directed that movie then you kinda get the idea of what this is like.To be fair though the director Marcus Duncstan is in no way copying that movie or anything and has made similar movies before with 'The Collector' and 'The Collection' on his resume.Not without it's flaws but overall a gritty and cool flick that's well worth spending 80 minutes to watch.

2016 has brought us some very good predator vs prey in a house movies such as Fede Alvarez's horror hit Don't Breathe and the Mike Flanagan silent suspense film Hush. So now writer of Saw 4-7 and director of the Collector series Marcus Dunstan gives the sub genre a shot. Unfortunately for Dunstan, The Neighbour doesn't make the good list for suspense horror films this year.The film is a little bit generic (as the name would suggest) and doesn't possess the unique quality that the aforementioned films possess. The Neighbour at its core is a snooping-into-other-people's-business-and-finding-something-dark film but fails to bring anything new and exciting to the mix. The dark secret that The Neighbour has feels rather tame when compared to similar films like Don't Breathe, as well as seeing as Dunstan wrote 4 Saw sequels you would expect something more out there and extravagant. This all being said, Dunstan does throw in some inventive weapons later on as the film progresses but it just isn't enough to save the film from forgettable genericness.The film is a short one and so it focuses more on the progression of events rather than their probability. The plot twist surrounding the police officer is intriguing but is never really explained and also Rosie's stomach for violence is rather questionable. The film at the end becomes completely focused on action sequences and rapid pace that it loses substance in doing so.So far I have been rather ruthless towards the director/ writer, but truth be told he does exhibit some rather slick and stylish directing at times. The opening credits and closing sequence stand out with their square box framing and weird black square central to the left of the screen. The film does have suspense and Dunstan does succeed in creating it at times and also does get inventive and a little brutal near the end, but these are only moments in the film, Dunstan needs to step his game up and make the whole film feel like those good on off moments he has shown throughout this film.Overall, The Neighbour is a rather generic film with patchy pacing, that is more of a thriller than a horror. Writer/ director Marcus Dunstan has some interesting moments and ideas but they are so few and scattered that it isn't enough to save the film. Maybe next time he'll hit the nail on the head... or should I say camcorder to the head?