Disturbia

A troubled teen (Shia LaBeouf), restless under his house-arrest ankle bracelet, resorts to spying on the neighbors, coming to suspect that one of them (David Morse) may be a serial killer. Director D.J. Caruso and writers Christopher Landon and Carl Ellsworth don’t acknowledge their obvious source (Hitchcock’s Rear Window), but they certainly know their audience: teens who feel smart and savvy but alternately put-upon, neglected, misunderstood and threatened by adults. The movie is slick and well-constructed (if predictable), and it’s well-acted by LaBeouf and sidekicks Sarah Roemer and Aaron Yoo. It’s not their fault if they can’t banish the ghosts of James Stewart, Grace Kelly and Thelma Ritter. Carrie-Anne Moss offers stalwart, borderline-thankless support as LaBeouf’s concerned, exasperated mother.