Fridae

Director Neil Labute has made some sharp observations about human failings and follies in intelligent dramas such as In the Company of Men and Nurse Betty.

But in Lakeview Terrace, he's crossed the line. Instead of showing racial tension between an interracial couple (Patrick Wilson and Kerry Washington) and their disapproving black neighbor (Samuel L. Jackson) in an intelligent manner, he depicts the hostilities escalating into a violent all-out war that defies credibility.

To be fair, he didn't write the script. He was merely a hired gun in this one, paid to direct what Hollywood considers a thriller with strong box-office potential because of double- whammy of provocative racial themes and action thrills. But that doesn't acquit him entirely of the out-of-control performances and over-the-top finale.

Awful.