A House in the Hills

Saved by an intelligent script and some good performances, A House In the Hills chronicles a housesitters descent into the maelstrom of violence and lies at the heart of the California Dream (well, the Southern California one, at least). It's not Htichcock, but it's miles better than your average Showtime filler. Jeffrey Tambor delivers a particularly rich performance as next door neighbour Willie, and the rest of the cast is up to the task. Apparently filmed in Luxembourg, of all places.

This is the movie that introduced me to Michael Madsen LOL. It's one of those films that sucks you in and grows on you! I have it on VHS and DVD LOL it's a thriller / mix comedy / semi love story... I love how they dress up in the homeowners clothes, she puts on the dress, he puts on a tux and they travel to the world of Make-Believe and pretend to be in love. Well almost lol. Alex and Mickey bear their naked souls to one another and I absolutely love that, they have to learn the hard way to trust each other and to get each other out of this mess they're in to stay alive. I love the ending as well. Jeffery Tambor's weird character gives it a quirky dangerous twist to the movie as well.

There is a murder in the Hollywood hills. Alex Weaver (Helen Slater) is a struggling actress working as a waitress. She replaces her friend to housesit for the needed cash. The cops are next door investigating the murder. The Rankins mistakenly take her bag. Exterminator Mickey (Michael Madsen) unexpectedly comes and assumes Alex to be the owner. He's looking to get something from Rankin and takes her hostage. Will Stryker (Jeffrey Tambor) is the Rankins' new neighbor.

There are a couple of scenes where it is a little too convenient. This should be an intense kidnapping thriller. However there are a lot of false notes being played. The music cues are wrong but that's not the half of it. Madsen is being too cool and lacks the intensity of a real criminal. The romance is awkward and fake like a bad romance novel. It's incredible that Mickey would fall for it. It's completely set up wrong. Jeffrey Tambor is a nice turn but the movie keeps trying to go back to the romantic tones. There is no chemistry to work with here. Just when the movie is coming to an acceptable end, it becomes silly as Helen Slater overacts unconvincingly.

The first 30 minutes or so of this film makes you think it's a knock-off of "The Desperate Hours". But it's not. The film keeps coming at you with unexpected plot turns. Helen Slater is fabulous as the actress/housesitter. Michael Madsen is as good as he usually is, looking extremely menacing when he wants to. I thought this movie was delightful, surprisingly good for a film I'd never heard of.

The film was pretty slow at the beginning. I had never watched Michael Madsen perform before. I thought he had a sour face! But did I change my mind? This film really grows on you. And I ended up loving it. Slater and Madsen played so well together. She was the weak feminine actress who against her will fell for this unknown man. And he was this strong willed he-man! This is a film of my liking: a thiller mixed with romance, that´s the best. I sure hope it comes out on DVD, so I can buy it.