Kim Bynem I had hoped that Julia Stiles could save this movie. She can't. Most actresses and actors cannot overcome a bad script and indifferent direction. And this script is low quality, indeed. The director is not much better. Fans of Ms. Stiles should stick with the Bourne films and "10 Things I Hate About You". People who want offbeat suspense might try "Let Me In" or one of several Korean horror flicks from the last 15 years, including "Tell Me Something". Hitchcock fans will not be impressed with this, though some may opine that is who this director is attempting to emulate. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then incompetence is the worst form of filmmaking.

BA_Harrison In the midst of divorce proceedings, depressed aeronautics designer Robert Forrester (Paddy Considine) attempts to cheer himself up by spying on Jenny Thierolf (Julia Stiles), a pretty and seemingly content young woman who lives in a remote house by the woods. When Jenny catches Robert peeping on her, she believes him when he says he means her no harm, and invites him into the house for a chat. However, Jenny turns out to be even more disturbed than Robert, revealing to him her own struggle with mental illness; in the following days, she turns the tables by stalking her stalker. This puts Robert in mortal danger, not from his new 'friend', but from her ex-boyfriend, who isn't best pleased at being dumped for a 'nut-job'.The first time I popped this movie into my trusty portable DVD player, there were no voices on the soundtrack; I presumed I had a duff copy and was prepared to chuck it straight in the bin (it was only a quid—no biggie). I'm glad I didn't: the next morning I tried the disc again, and this time realised that my headphone jack hadn't been pushed in properly. I watched the film, and it was amazing.A perceptive study of the fragility of the mind, this isn't the white-knuckle thriller or blood drenched horror suggested by the image of a shadowy figure clutching an axe on the cover, and anyone expecting such will probably feel cheated by the film's real content. As the film develops, there is plenty of opportunity for writer/director Jamie Thraves to succumb to a more exploitative approach, yet he resists the temptation to do so, remaining sensitive to the subject of mental illness, depicting a frightening world full of despair, melancholy and chaos.However, just because the film doesn't go down the obvious crowd-pleaser route, that's not to say that it isn't a totally engaging and gripping experience. Leads Considine and Stiles give fine, perceptive performances and Thraves measured direction is superb, building slowly and inexorably to a downbeat ending that seems to have confused many viewers: rather than just 'stopping', as has been mentioned in some reviews, the film reaches a logical and startling conclusion, with Robert considering the possibility that he might actually be the portent of death that Jenny eventually perceived him to be.8.5 out of 10, rounded up to 9 for IMDb.

TxMike Based on a 1962 novel, this movie appears to be a re-make of the 1987 French film of the same name. I like Julia Stiles, and this film was suggested by my Netflix account. I saw it as a Netflix streaming movie.Filmed in Canada and set mainly in rural areas, it begins with the cliché' saying, "If you come to a fork in the road, take it." Paddy Considine as Robert Forrester is driving at night, pauses briefly at the fork, and goes to a seemingly deserted strip of road, parks with his car hood up, and walks into the woods to a house where he observes, through the windows, Julia Stiles as Jenny Thierolf.So, what are we to think? Is he dangerous? Is he a serial killer or rapist? No, he is harmless, but somehow watching this young woman gives him a sense of calm. Except for this quirk, Robert is the only mostly normal character.You would think Jenny would fear Robert, instead she invites him into her house, offers him coffee. They chat only briefly before he leaves, but Jenny turns out to be the crazy one. Her "things happen for a reason" beliefs result in her stalking Robert, she believes they are "meant to be together." There are other strange characters. Robert and his wife are getting a divorce, she says and does some things that are pretty strange. Jenny is breaking up with her boyfriend, he is a certified "hot head", one night he stops his truck in front of Robert's car, they wrestle and fight, the next day the boyfriend is missing, presumed dead, Robert is the prime suspect. I am glad I watched the whole movie, but I could not recommend it. Too many messed up characters and strange outcomes. Not my favorite Julia Stiles role.

qcloes09 WARNING AGAIN....SPOILERS AHEAD: (If you already saw the movie you probably won't care)An incredibly dull man stalks a really dull woman. She likes him and spends time with him talking about stupid death omens, including an Owl . Her boyfriend fights the dull man and disappears. Dull man is then stalked by the an unknown figure, the police, and his ex-wife.There are no explanations for the odd occurrences in this man's life and why they seem to only happen to him.After awhile, I didn't care. He was so darned boring. Oh, he does curse a lot.The dull man is inexplicably and incredibly "unlucky". Everyone around him gets shot, stabbed, or disappears. He looks out the window and hears an Owl.The End.