O Bom Vizinho

Sitting down to watch the 2021 thriller "The Good Neighbor" was because I had the opportunity to do so. I hadn't even heard about this movie from writer Ross Partridge and director Stephan Rick prior to watching it. But I will say that the movie's synopsis sounded interesting enough to catch my attention. And also the fact that the movie had Jonathan Rhys Meyers on the cast list helped to sweeten the deal.

The storyline in "The Good Neighbor" was good and well-written. Sure, it was somewhat generic at certain aspects and it was somewhat predictable, but it actually made for good entertainment. There was something 'old school thriller' about the way that the story was constructed and brought to life on the screen.

The acting performances in the movie were good, and lead actors Luke Kleintank and Jonathan Rhys Meyers were nicely cast for the leading roles. I was especially impressed with Jonathan Rhys Meyers' performance, because he was superbly cast for that particular role and he brought the characters to life in a very realistic and believable manner.

If you enjoy thrillers, then you definitely should give "The Good Neighbor" a chance, should you have the opportunity to watch it. I was genuinely surprised and entertained with this movie from director Stephan Rick. While the movie is entertaining and watchable, it hardly is a thriller that you will watch more than once, simply as the storyline doesn't have enough layers and contents to support more than a single viewing, as this first viewing leaves nothing else to be discovered.

The ending of the movie, now that was a slap to the face with a cold, dead face. I didn't enjoy that ending one bit.

My rating of "The Good Neighbor" lands on a six out of ten stars.

Just ok, a bit long and very predictable. I myself LOVE Meyer as an actor but he just didn't mesh well with the other lead actor. His emotions and reaction at times were laughable because they felt so fake or unreal. I really only wanted to see this movie because he was in it but not that I have I wish I hadn't. Was it a good thriller? Yes, but nothing new or special. Good for a one time watch, MAYBE two, but that was it. Never found out why the girl was on her bike, on that road at night in the first place, but oh well.

This movie is completely guided by coincidences and unlikely things happening. It started off rather promising and I was curious to see where the movie would go even though the trailer pretty much spoiled the complete first act. Anyway after watching for a while the movie turned to the classic tropes and had little originality left.

You have a familiar premise where things are done slightly different but it's overall the same thing you likely have seen before. That being said the movie is not bad, it's tense and suspenseful and really draws you into the story, even though you have no one to really root for. The acting is fine but not great and the overall production value was pretty good. Overall it's a decent movie that doesn't reinvent the genre and gets dragged down by some of its flaws. [5,6/10]

This is a good little thriller. Jonathan Rhys Meyers certainly knows how to play someone unhinged. You can tell there is something bubbling underneath his surface. I like how the tension slowly rises until the finale. Also the area the movie is shot in is something else. I don't know how much was shot on a soundstage but Riga as a backdrop is certainly a welcome change up. As I said, it is a good little thriller that hopefully doesn't get overlooked.

This one of those movies that starts out with the question what any of us would have in the same situation as the protagonist. What if you did something bad and you could get away with it? Has been done before. But the performances are really strong. Jonathan Rhys Meyers is great in his mix of subtle and all out moments. Luke Kleintank does a good job, being relatable while at the same time going down a slippery slope. The film has a retro feel in its premise, and also the pacing is not superfast, but the tension rises constantly to a surprising climax.