PeterMitchell-506-564364
This is one of those 90's psychological thrillers I could watch and never get sick of. I've probably watched it twenty times through, and loved it as much as the last watch. Keaton is one main reason, in a trademark performance, probably his best, Nightshift and Clean And Sober, contenders. This is a smart sleek thriller, thanks to a different and well formulated story that will appease the hunger of thriller fans. A young couple, (Modine and Griffith-equally yery good) so much in love, become landlords, renting out this two story Victorian house, to some suitable trusting tenants, to keep money in flow. Only one, they rent it to, is Keaton, a manipulative con man/psychopath, with a secret life and history of scre..ng women over, the starting scene, sees him getting his just desserts, by two heavies, wielding baseball bats, that work him over. Tracking this house down, he obtains an apartment by lying and conning his way into in, masquerading as an applicable client, flashing notes like they were silver, smooth talking them, in that ever likable Keaton voice, we love. He has much more in store for this couple, as a sick twisted game of Keaton's begins, with some help too. His underlying intention is to literally drive them + the remaining tenants, out of this house, which as Modine drunkenly states, ending a sentence at the viewer's humorous expense, "... this SOB just think's it's business as usual". Modine, his character having violent tendencies, when under pressure, that brings on some bad cursing (he's great here, frighteningly angry in his flare ups) plays right into Keaton's hands. One scene, has Keaton call the cops, then walk up to Modine's door, with flowers in apology, for all the stress and heartbreak he caused, that led to Griffith had a miscarriage. Sure enough, he's met by a punch from Modine, that sends him tumbling down the stairs, and crashing through the front door out onto the house path where Modine just goes radge on him, and is, as Keaton beautifully planned it, arrested. Not knowing how Keaton's gonna go about his intentions, on the first view of this film, is what makes it a stylishly good thriller. This poor couple who's life is turned into a sheer nightmare of landlord hell, where they reach utter depths of despair, really gets you angry, you wanna put the knife into Keaton, as does the other tenants like Mako, a soft sided character here, who practices tai chi on his balcony, it's reminds of his kung fu movie playing days. He also doesn't like arse...es (Keaton and co) hammering at all hours of the morning, where he and his misses are forced to leave after his cupboards become inundated with cockroaches, who are the stars of another unnerving moment. One fine Keaton moment has him just sitting in his Porsche in the garage, just watching Griffith, his eyes remaining fixed on her, even after she's noticed. She went down to change the lights but Keaton saved her the trouble, by flashing a torch through his windshield. He's not just a conman of frightening i.q. He's a real psycho too. His demise too was grand, in how he bought it, a happy ending for our two, ensuing. PH was one of the hip thrillers of 91, solid, hard to fault. It's a thriller, that knows where it's going, it's building climax, quite intense, where we learn just how pi...d off this psycho gets, when he's really angry. A definite watcher.
