7/10
A half-way decent little thriller
20 November 2002
This is not the best thriller that I have ever seen, nor is it anywhere near the worst. I thoroughly enjoyed it, as did the two friends who watched it with me.

Charlie Sheen stars as a fireman, once decorated for bravery, turned psychopath. The chief targets of his increasingly paranoid behaviour are the perfectly normal family who just happen to live next door. As his private war escalates, their very lives are endangered , as are the lives of anyone else unfortunate enough to get in his way.

For me the film suffers through its lack of development of the main characters. Nevertheless, it is well worth watching and none but the the hypercritical will be disappointed.

Charlie Sheen is convincing in an unfamiliar role; Mare Winningham does a sterling job as the terrified, but protective mother; and Noah Fleiss shines once again as Zach. I find it both bizarre and sickening that anyone could find the acting of this talented young actor "poor". I like Elijah Wood and Joe Mazzello, but would not hesitate to put Noah Fleiss in the same bracket. Given reasonable breaks, this kid is going to be MEGA!
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