THE LODGER

THE LODGER: WHAT A THRILLING MOVING DAY                  Nothing like a good old fashioned murder mystery. This one involves a Jack the Ripper copy cat in West Hollywood which is the same size area as where the Ripper murdered in London. Alfred Molina is Detective Manning who has made it his priority to solve a string of murders that were once attributed to a man who was sentenced to death on his watch. At the same time a mysterious lodger (Simon Baker) pays a generous amount of cash to rent out the cottage from a young couple, particularly exciting the odd woman (Hope Davis) who holds some sort of eccentric secret. The question is do these two events act independently from one another or is there some sort of connection between them?

I so loved this movie! Not just for the captivating plot line and colorful cast of characters, but also for the visual imagery and use of style and color. Thought was given to the music scored behind each murder and the gore and violence is more insinuated than graphic. There is great use of time lapse photography and a body cam on certain characters which add depth and mood. It is as visual a picture as it is a piece on character study. No one is who they appear to be and even the ones who seem easiest to read are delightfully deceptive. The whole cast compliments each other, each performance as strong as the next. Particularly so, Davis is a true gem and earns her starring role with much due credit.

Big bite: Strong case and thrilling storyline make the Lodger a must see.