Somewhere between Paul Haggis' Crash (2004) and Antoine Fuqua's Training Day (2001) you will find Lakeview Terrace, which is Neil LaBute's action thriller starring Samuel L. Jackson and Patrick Wilson. Set in Los Angeles, Jackson plays bitter cop Abel Turner, whose racist animosity towards new neighbours Chris (Wilson) and Lisa Mattson (Kerry Washington) turns into a fiery feud amidst peaceful suburbia.
The film does a respectful job of discussing the issues surrounding mixed-race relationships, and comes at it from the black perspective which is interesting to see. Jackson is excellent as the angry-yet-cool single father, whose hypocritical attitudes towards his working and home life give an excellent insight into the feelings of many Americans, and how racial equality in the U.S. is still far from view.
L.A. is often the setting for drama about racial tensions, and reflects the tense relationship that the city's inhabitants seem to have. The co-existence of so many ethnic groups appears to make a great film. LaBute has tried to tackle the issue of mixed-race relationships whilst highlighting other issues, such as discrimination in the work place, as we see the female black character struggling to find paid employment whilst the white man has a white collar job and the black man has a civil service job.
There are aspects of the film which seem to relegate it from the ranks of films like Crash and Training Day, such as the all-too-neat ending and the underdeveloped background of Abel Turner, but Lakeview Terrace deserves some appreciation. LaBute has faced some difficult problems in American society head on, and made a film which is both enlightening and entertaining.
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