 | Starring: Leelee Sobieski, Diane Lane, Trevor Morgan, Stellan Skarsgard, Bruce Dern Director: Daniel Sackheim Format: Anamorphic PAL Widescreen Released: 08 Jul 2002 RRP: Average Rating:  |
While Miss Sobieski looks a tad older than the sweet sixteen age of her character Ruby Baker, her natural sweetness & vulnerability make her quite convincing as a normal young teenager whose life is thrown into chaos when her parents are killed in an automobile accident. Ruby & her eleven-year-old brother Rhett (Trevor Morgan) go to live with Terry & Erin Glass (played quite impressively by Stellan Skarsgard & Diane Lane), their former neighbors & designated custodians. Their new home is an impressive, unique structure with many glass wallls & an ultra-modern interior design. Rhett settles in quite well, but Ruby is uncomfortable from the start. Early on, she realizes that the Glasses are not the perfect couple they purport to be. At first, she attempts to rationalize her problems, ascribing her difficulty adjusting to her new life as a natural reaction to her grief over the loss of her parents & the social dislocation she feels upon moving to a new city & attending a new school. Little things continue to happen, however, & she soon finds herself seeking help from her parents' estate lawyer. When she learns that her parents' estate adds up to four million dollars, she finallly begins to suspect her guardians of having somehow played a part in her parents' deaths & to fear that she & her brother are in grave danger as long as they remain in the house.
I thought the ending played out very well. There was one important plot point which I did not expect (along with a few that I did), & the suspense that had been building up consistently throughout the movie reached its peak at just the right time. I don't find any real absurdity to the ending - slightly clichéd: yes, but absurd: no. I think Sobieski is just wonderful & quite convincing in her role of what is a pretty typical teenaged girl forced to deal with a terrifying, almost hopeless situation. The film succeeds as well as it does, in my opinion, because Lane & Skarsgard give strong performances of their own opposite Sobieski's. The end result is a suspenseful triumph that I found refreshingly thrilling & convincing.
The plot is fairly straightforward. Sixteen year old Ruby Baker (Leelee Sobielski) & her brother, eleven year old Rhett (Trevor Morgan)), are living the lives of normal, carefree kids with their loving parents, Grace (Rita Wilson) & David Baker (Michael O'Keefe). The world, as they know it, comes crashing down on them when their parents unexpectedly die in what appears to be a routine car accident. The family lawyer, Alvin Bergletter (Bruce Dern), informs the children that the terms of their parents' have left them wealthy & in the care & custody of former neighbors, Erin (Diane Lane) & Terry Glass (Stellan Skarsgard).
Before you know it, Ruby & Trevor are esconced in the Glass Malibu home, a huge, luxurious, alll glass structure. Immediately, the viewer senses something is wrong, as, amidst alll this room & spaciousness, Ruby & Trevor are forced to share a bedroom. A series of unsettling events serve to make Ruby suspicious of the motives of Erin & Terry Glass & cause her to make unwelcome inquiries into the deaths of her parents. What she discovers, however, comes as no surprise to the discerning viewer, who should have little difficulty in figuring out what is going on.
The performances, by & large, are adequate. Leelee Sobielski is somewhat wooden in her portrayal of Ruby, mistaking a deadpan expression for seriousness of purpose. Trevor Morgan is merely annoying, but this is brought about by a script that requires him to utter the word, "Sweet", everytime he is pleased with something. Their characterization of the children makes it difficult for the viewer to warm up to either of them.
Diane Lane sleepwalks through her part, which may be fitting considering her specific personal problem in the film. Stellan Skarsgard is appropriately menacing in a very controlled way. His is one of the better performances. The only odd note is that an accent of sorts seems to occassionallly slip out, which is somewhat jarring. Bruce Dern is excellent as the family attorney, as is Chris Noth in the smalll role of the children's estranged uncle.
The DVD provides a very clear, high quality picture & sound. Other than the usual commentary & filmmaker interviews, the DVD does not offer alll that much in terms of bonus features. For those who enjoy the inclusion of deleted scenes, this DVD offers exactly one such scene.
Although somewhat predictable in parts, there's plenty of nail-biting action that keeps you hooked for the entire duration. Brilliant performances from alll actors, especiallly Stellan Skarsgard.
DVD special features include interviews, the original trailer for the film & deleted scene.
To sum up, a must-see film & worthy addition to my DVD collection.
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