Neighbor (2009)

Sick Product of a Sick System

Good start, but then it gets ruined

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

This film is nothing but 90 minutes of a woman torturing people, especially one man... it would be merciful to the viewer if she had just killed him. And certainly more interesting...WHY would someone make a film like this? What's worse is why would I watch? Well, by the time we got to the drill being used, I sat with my hands over my eyes, not wanting to see any more of the gore. And what was with all the "flashbacks" or false memories? Was it intended to scare the viewer or confuse the viewer? The writer/director certainly is in love with his work... but lacks the respect to his audience to tell a decent story.

I should preface this review by addressing some issues which have been brought up in other reviews, in order to clarify my opinion on them.Character development - There is little character development in the film, this is really a matter of taste. How much character development do you need? This is torture porn, after all. I found the subtle use of character development to be in line with the atmosphere of the movie, although I did find it frustrating the first time I watched it.Acting - Some of the acting is a little stiff. The characters seem happy enough acting out their mundane ordinary lives but once they get captured and tortured they don't seem to give award winning performances. To the film's credit though, the main antagonist (?) steals the show.The soundtrack and general cinematography was generally very good (songs from the soundtrack are still stuck in my head days after watching it), although around the middle of the movie there's a point where flashback-and-forwards are used a little confusingly.The Girl - Is probably the best reason to see the movie. America Olivo's character is brilliant. Every frame exudes insanity and you'll find yourself chuckling at her twisted sadism. "The Girl" is like Ellen Paige's character from "Hard Candy" with no moral message to give and pure, brilliant, insanity. The Girl is so good that she outweighs all of the bad factors of the film, I give this film 10 girls out of 10.Overall, if you like Hostel and Hard Candy and you aren't adverse to a bit of gore, then go for it. This movie is somewhere between a black comedy and a homage to the old "Video Nasties" and slashers. You may have to watch the movie a few times to pick up the subtleties like character development though.

There are some bad movies that at least entertain , this heap of dung is not one of them! I gave this a 2 star rating, 1 of which is for the leading lady who is easy on the eyes . The storyline is incoherent and the acting is abysmal. I didn't like a single character in this film , unless you think Hostel is the greatest movie ever,stay away from this. I love brutality but this torture porn movie is so bad, it tortured me! Normally, when annoying characters get tortured or killed I enjoy it , in this film they manage to be more annoying! Other than the hotness of the leading actress , and a little gore I found Neighbor had nothing to offer.

This is by far, by leaps and bounds, and without question the worst movie I have ever had the misfortune to endure. (Note that I've seen well thousands of movies over the course of over forty years of movie-going.) Everything about it that counts is plainly and simply dreadful. The rest is just middling, not bad but not good, just kind of... there. None of the characters are likable or even interesting, not even the titular villain, and so there is no tension, none whatsoever in the whole thing. The villain's M.O. is the usual for torture porn, good old casual sadism. It's the writer/director's M.O. as well. He doesn't seem to care about his story or want us to care about it either. His name credited as the writer/producer/director (in flashing graphics, no less) is all he cared about. (He does it for the special features on the DVD, too.) This movie is so abominably bad it's insulting. The box art is the best thing about it.