Penthouse North
Penthouse
North harkens back to the thrillers of yesteryear with some parallels to
Alfred Hitchcock. Ironically, Penthouse North is directed by Joseph
Ruben (Sleeping with the Enemy and The Good Son) and is his first movie
in almost ten years. It's definitely been a long time between drinks but
fortunately this does impact on the quality of Penthouse North. Both his aforementioned films were actually quite
decent, even though a tad clichéd in some regards with characterisation
and story.
His current
film Penthouse North stars the lovely Michelle Monaghan who plays Sara,
a former war reporter. Unfortunately during her last coverage in
Iraq, she was caught in a deadly trap. As the US troops that she was
covering came under fire, she retreated from the fire fight by escaping
into a nearby building.
However when
Sara encounters a local holding what appears to be a baby, this moment
will forever change her life. The baby that this women is holding is
actually a doll filled with explosives and when it explodes, Sara is
left blind. Fast forward three years and Sara (still blind) is living in
a majestic apartment with her boyfriend.
Unfortunately fate strikes again and when Sara returns from the store,
she finds that her boyfriend has been murdered and that these killers
also want her dead. It seems that her boyfriend had a dark past and is
chased by Hollander (Michael Keaton) who was double crossed by her
partner for a loot of stolen diamonds. From here a game of cat and mouse
begins in this exciting thriller that will keep you on the edge of your
seat.
The
highlights of Penthouse North, besides the great cinematography is
Monaghan and Keaton who successfully play their characters well and manage to
instil quite an emotional performance in their roles. Although the story
is at times a little clichéd such as the story of a blind woman who
manages the unthinkable, there's actually something quite endearing
about the entire premise that will have you glued to the screen.
A great film
for a night in!
