Sommerleigh Pollonais, Senior Writer
Plot: The budding friendship between two very different neighbours takes a tragic turn when one runs over a young woman and causes her death.
Review: While the plot of this movie is pretty standard, and I do mean as standard as a Lifetime movie of the week, it is somewhat elevated by the performances, especially that of go-to weirdo Jonathan Rhys Meyers as the “good” neighbour Robert who befriends David played by Luke Kleintank (FBI: International). Actually, it’s the other way around, and as David and Robert’s friendship develops a good night of drinking ends in a hit-and-run where the two become more entangled and David learns exactly how far Robert will go for a friend.
Meyers is probably most well-known from his role as King Henry VIII in The Tudors. He’s an actor that has played numerous roles in varying movies and televisions shows but what all of his characters tend to have in common is a sense of unpredictability. He always seems slightly unhinged and that works well here as Robert, a man whose loneliness and past trauma is palpable. Kleintank’s part here is a bit more muddled which makes his role as the protagonist difficult to get behind. Without spoiling too much David seems like a good guy trapped in a terrible situation but the things he does (or at the very least allows Robert to do whether by staying silent or by becoming involved with the victim’s sister Vanessa (Eloise Smyth), makes it difficult to root for him.
That said, The Good Neighbour doesn’t do anything too profound or unpredictable. If you’ve seen thrillers like this one you’ll have a pretty decent idea of where things are heading. Jonathan Rhys Meyers is about the only interesting thing/person in the entire film. It’s not a terrible movie, but as thrillers go it’s not the type that will leave you breathless. Check it out and see for yourself and maybe you’ll like The Good Neighbour.
Score: 5.5 out of 10
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Sommerleigh of the House Pollonais. First of Her Name. Sushi Lover, Queen of Horror Movies, Comic Books and Binge Watching Netflix. Mother of two beautiful black cats named Vader and Kylo. I think eating Popcorn at the movies should be mandatory, PS4 makes the best games ever, and I’ll be talking about movies until the zombie apocalypse comes.
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