Samuel L. Jackson is asked to put on his fire-and-brimstone, dog-and-pony show in this initially unsettling, eventually ludicrous thriller from director Neil LaBute. Jackson plays a veteran Los Angeles police officer who takes a dislike to the interracial couple (Patrick Wilson and Kerry Washington) next door. As soon as Jackson’s eyes begin to widen, you know it’s only a matter of time before they completely bug out. By the overwrought climax of Lakeview Terrace, they’ve nearly left his head.
