Customer Reviews

Across the Hall

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

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.

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.

The tense stand-off between a young man, his unfaithful fiancée, and his best friend. Terry's fiancée, June, is having an affair. After following June to a run-down hotel on the far side of town, Terry quietly rents a room across the hall. With a bottle of whiskey and a loaded gun, he calls his best friend, Julian, and spills his guts. Realizing that it's only a matter of time before Terry goes off, Julian begs his friend to remain calm long enough for him to get to the hotel and diffuse the situation. Mike Vogel and Danny Pino were great in this movie and it is a great thriller with enough twists and turns to keep the viewer intrigued to the end. Brittany Murphy's she is just a bit player that lasted maybe 15 minutes of the movie, but does do a good job. All in all, I liked this movie keeps you guessing. Check it out.

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!

Although the average rating on Amazon is about 3 stars as I type my review for this movie I would have to give it 4 out of 5. My attention span is really bad and a movie generally has to bring it in dialogue, action, acting, scenery, and audio to keep me attentive. This movie does that. You certainly don't need me to give you a synopsis of the movie because that has been provided in the description; however, I will say that this movie has two major twist that I was able to figure out. Someone called the movie predictable, I'd rather just call it familiar. The fact that some plots are "guessable" does not take a way from the movie. The movie collocates past and present scenes which gives the film a more interesting "feel" than some other films within it's genre that share similar plots. Now, would I purchase this movie from Amazon for nearly $15.00? Absolutely not! I just watched it for free on Hulu. That being said your needs may differ from mine and you may actually need the DVD version and in that case go right ahead. If you are a movie lover or if you have a short attention span like I do "Across The Hall" will not disappoint you.

Love Brittany Murphy loved this movie :)
It is good for those of us who like to be scared but not grossed out and an awesome plot twist.

The late great Brittany Murphy is really fantastic in this suspense movie where it does keep you on the edge of your seat.

The movie credits starts out as if you were watching a 1960's mystery. The 1920's style hotel and eerie bell hop/ desk clerk gives the movie a surreal Sin City feeling. I was all set up thinking I was going to watch a great movie. Then it happens...the flashbacks. This movie shows you what has happened then uses flashbacks to eventually bring you up to that point, but in a way you didn't expect. Sometimes this works well in a film, sometimes not, especially in this one when you don't know if a scene is a flashback or not until later. This makes the movie confusing and disjointed.

This film is an overlooked gem which did not make it big in the theatre. Brittany Murphy has the lead female role. Danny Pino is her boyfriend (or husband) Terry. Mike Vogel is Terry's best friend Julian, and Brad Greenquist has a scene-stealing role as the hotel bellboy.

The central plot of the movie involves "June"-that would be Brittany--checking into a seedy, run-down hotel (somewhere in the Hollywood area it seems), and her paranoid husband Terry, who is continuously convinced she must be cheating on him. He has FOLLOWED her to this hotel and he checks into the room ACROSS THE HALL, from which he can observe anyone who goes into or out of the room. Oh yeah--and he's got a gun, and he's been drinking pretty hard....

Well, cellphones make quite a showing in the film. Terry calls his friend Julian to give him the bad news that his wife really IS cheating on him because after all there she is, in that seedy hotel waiting for someone. Julian is alarmed that Terry is going to do something rash--especially when he finds out about the gun...Terry don't do anything rash man--wait--I'm coming over--just wait for me....

The tension, which is maintained almost from beginning to end of this film, is broken ONLY by the BELLBOY--This guy has to be seen to be believed. I think he should have gotten an Oscar for best minor-supporting role. He's the only one in the whole hotel who takes his job seriously. You'd think he was the manager of Trump Towers. Unfortunately at this place, you can now pay "by the hour" as one option. Still he dresses in one of those formal old bellboy outfits from...the 30's? 20's? The red coat and that ridiculous red, flat bellboy hat, with a white strap that goes under the chin (A look similar to the dress of a monkey that sits on the shoulder of an organ-grinder). He was hilarious, while being completely serious at all times. I LOVE THIS GUY!

The storyline is nonlinear and you have to give it credit: this is no adaptation from a book or a short story or a play. This is a script which can ONLY WORK in a movie. The scenes start sort of midway through the movie and from there they keep cutting back toward the start and then forward to continue. It starts out a little bit confusing, but it draws you in and hooks you. It isn't until near the end of the film that you can sort out the whole story from beginning to end. And what an ending! The entire film builds toward this ending and it is perfectly executed. I couldn't predict the ending (maybe some of you can) but it's powerfully done (with almost no dialog) and the musical score greatly adds to the effect. This is a film that just continually builds up momentum until the finish, which is good enough to be taught in film school. I watched this film twice-something I don't do that often. It's definitely worth seeing.

Reading the product description at a DVDXPress kiosk, I immediately knew who "the other man" was. It was just so obvious. But intrigued by the nice still shot of Brittany Murphy, I decided to rent it anyway. After all, it was only a buck.

What a big disappointment! I want my dollar (plus tax) back! The movie is just absolutely terrible in every way, except perhaps camerawork (no shaky shots like those shot on a handheld). The plot, despite the obvious, is just plain boring and empty. To fill the time, the pace of the film is very slow, and the dialogs are extremely corny and annoying. Murphy (I hate to say this, being a fan of hers) looks like she's about to die, and she and the two male leads simply cannot act. The set design is so like one taken out of my high school's senior play.

This film tries hard at being stylish, but it's not. It's a bad, bad, bad film.