Product Details

• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Unknown
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B002UXYDBC
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #227,251 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 23 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Suspenseful Neo-Noir Film February 11, 2010

By Compay TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Format:DVD

Considering this film was released in only a handful of theaters, I was surprised at how entertaining it was. I was impressed most with the work of Alex Merkin, who makes his film debut with Across the Hall.

Visually, this film is a real treat. The movie takes place in an aging hotel, which becomes a character in itself. The lighting, shadows, use of color and weather all contribute towards making this a fun film noir to soak in. Another treat is the film's score, which combines big band (Starlight Serenade by the Alan Moorhouse Orchestra) and contemporary music. Much of the movie's score is original music by composer Aaron Kaplan, and psychedelic folk rock group Calico Haunts.

While I was unfamiliar with lead actor Mike Vogel, I was already a fan of Danny Pino's work portraying druglord Armadillo Quintero on The Shield. Pino does a convincing job in Across the Hall playing Terry, the vengeful lover. Brad Greenquist, whose career has primarily been in television, adds to the peculiar vibe of the film as the hotel's quirky porter.

This was a tense thriller that pulled me in from the very first scene, and the excellent opening title sequence. It's not a breakthrough film, but if you're a fan of neo-noir in the vein of 21 Grams or Seven, you will probably enjoy it.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Perfect Noir Story ... perfectly done. Really. May 15, 2011

By phreejax

Format:Amazon Instant Video

First, I have to point out that this is the last movie starring Brittany Murphy that was released in her lifetime. She was excellent in this excellent movie, and I hope she knew it. Another reviewer here on Amazon has stated that she is in only '15 minutes' of the movie. That's completely untrue. She is one of the three main actors in this film -- she played a major role, and did it very well. Her appearance is not just some kind of cameo.

That said ... There's a story about this story, and it's worth knowing before you watch this movie. Alex Merkin, the director, had an idea ... a sort of noir / 'locked room' hybrid, and it is one hell of a great plot. If James M. Cain, Jim Thompson, or especially Cornell Woolrich had written this story back in the day, Fox or RKO would have snapped it up (and Otto Preminger would have directed) -- "Across the Hall" would have made Noir and Hollywood history. The story really is that good. (The role cell phones play in the movie ... really the only modern element ... could easily have been replaced with another plot device -- car keys, notes, whatever -- and probably should have been, to keep this great plot truly timeless.)

I think Alex Merkin knew what he had with this story back in 2006, when he and screenwriter Julien Schwab developed the story into a 16-minute short, also called "Across the Hall." Virtually every line and scene in this 16-minute masterpiece also appears in the 'long' version, released in 2009. And the 'long' version, which is the subject of this review -- and also is written by Schwab and directed by Merkin -- doesn't just expand on its 16-minute predecessor, it improves on it in every way.

This isn't 'neo-noir,' as with a modern film that borrows elements from that genre. No, as stated above, this is something that Cornell Woolrich could have written in 1940, if he'd thought of it. "Across the Hall" would fit comfortably in any vintage film noir anthology -- except it's in color and was made a half-century after the golden age of 'classic' film noir. Even "Chinatown" (I film I love, a lot) doesn't have, and doesn't try for, the claustrophobic, heart-pounding sense of minutes slipping away as fate closes in on the hapless protagonists -- and that's the basis of all classic film noir.

In case you can't tell, I love this film!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars BE CAREFUL WHO YOU CHEAT WITH May 20, 2010

By Michael Butts HALL OF FAMEVINE™ VOICE

Format:DVD

A good film noir attempt set in a sleazy hotel with an odd porter. COLD CASE star Danny Pino plays a neurotic man who believes girlfriend Brittany Murphy is cheating on him and follows her to the Riverview Hotel and waits across the hall to see who her lover is. Pino enlists his best friend Mike Vogel to help him after a tragedy occurs.
There are some plotholes and improbable actions but the movie held my interest and Pino and Vogel are quite good. Nice effort from the first time director.