Blindsided

Penthouse North is a thriller that has slipped under the radar because it wrongly has been branded as unoriginal and generic. Most thrillers are unoriginal. However there are several elements one can focus on to keep things fresh. And I, like many can't get enough of twists and turns especially ones you don't see coming at all. This one does not rely on twists and turns. In a way that is going against the norm. Many thrillers these days are build around surprises which I like. But what I don't like is how they forget to build up to it. Often it comes out of the blue mostly just to shock you without actually having put real effort to make good use of scenery and atmosphere. One of the criticisms towards Penthouse North is that it uses a concept that has been done many times in the Seventies and Eighties. I don't see any reason why it can't be reused in this decade. It's a simple mechanic to limit our main character's movements. And therefore very effective. I am not going to say what it is. And I suggest you don't read about the premise or watch the trailer since the viewing experience will be so much better when you don't know anything. However that does not mean that this film is a little predictable. But what it lacks in surprises it compensates with very good buildup of tension. It's not always evenly paced but it's not boring. On top of that we have some decent to good acting. Michael Keaton for example might not give it all his best in this one. But he is one that never disappoints. At least I have yet to see one where he does. And here it is no different. He brings what is needed to the table convincingly and that is what matters. Penthouse North may not contain real surprises but it is one that is filled with tense moments and keeps your interest as long as it lasts.

I'm old enough to remember being scared silly by Audrey Hepburn's movie of the 60's - a blind woman being terrorized for something her husband stole. The hand grabbing her ankle still makes me screech. This movie is nothing original but still suspenseful in a more current way - more violence, more sexual threat. However, a huge plot hole - a dead body STINKS. Blood stinks, a body "letting go" in death stinks, a sweaty killer stinks. Also, if she could hear the guy on the balcony at the end, why couldn't she hear (or smell or feel) a guy standing a foot in front of her?

It's New Year's Eve in New York City. Sara (Michelle Monaghan) is blind and living with boyfriend Ryan in his penthouse apartment. She returns home to find Ryan murdered by Chad (Barry Sloane) who is looking for his stolen money. She manages to escape to the street where police detective Hollander (Michael Keaton) protects her.

This is another blind-beauty-in-danger movie. It's an old trope, most notably Wait Until Dark (1967). Monaghan is the beauty. Barry Sloane is very creepy. Michael Keaton is very good. There are two big issues. First, it's such a worn-out premise. This needs something more to surprise the audience. While it has some interesting scenes, it never actually surprises. I like the look of the stairs. I like the ice cubes. I like fireworks. Non of it raises the movie to anything compelling. Second, it's obvious that this is Canada for New York. The green screen work out on the balcony is uncomfortably close to The Room. It makes the movie look cheap. It would be better if the location is unknown. This is derivative by definition and execution.

"The only thing standing between you and that psychopath in there is me." Sara (Monaghan) was an embedded photo journalist who lost her eyesight in an attack. She is living day to day and getting by. When she comes home she finds her husband murdered and no idea who did it or why. When Hollander (Keaton) enters the scene she realizes why he was murdered and her only hope of getting out alive to to find something she didn't know existed. This is a movie that is worth seeing, even though it is fairly generic and predictable. The real reason to watch this though is to see Keaton as a bad guy. He does such a good job in this type of role and I really wish he would do it more often. The biggest flaw with this movie is that it took a pretty decent 45 minute TV show idea and stretched it out into an hour and a half. It started to lose steam and get way too repetitive toward the middle and stumbled to the end. Once again though, the movie isn't all that terrible and is worth seeing once. Overall, an OK movie that is generic and predictable but the reason to watch is to see Keaton as a psycho bad guy, he really saves the movie. I give it a B-.

You might like this movie if you enjoyed: Columbus Circle (1996), Brake (2012)

Long Story Short: Sarah (Michelle Monaghan), a former Military photojournalist, has lost her sight due to an incident in Afghanistan. She lives in a penthouse with her boyfriend Ryan (Andrew W. Walker) and feels safe there even though her sister (Kaniehtiio Horn) and brother-in law (Trevor Hayes) constantly tell her that they don't trust Ryan. It turns out that Ryan does have a secret and, which gets Sarah in great danger.

Review: I have never heard of that movie before but I thought I give it a shot, and it was not a bog let down, but I wasn't blown away either. The beginning is very strong and has a few "Edge- of- your- seat" – moments, but it doesn't keep this pace up, especially since there aren't any twists besides one tiny one at the beginning. I am not sure how her past of being a photojournalist in Afghanistan helped developing the story either, as far as I am concerned they didn't even have to mention why she was blind. All these flashbacks from her past seemed like fillers to me. The acting was decent, I saw a few nice skyscraper shots, but I was hoping for a big reveal at the end which didn't happen. Penthouse House is definitely a one- time watch but not a bad one.

Rating: 5.5