Penthouse North

Let's not beat around the bush: PENTHOUSE NORTH is a modernized rip-off of WAIT UNTIL DARK. Both movies have the same core premise: a woman blinded in an accident (or in this case, a terrorist attack) is terrorized in her NYC apartment by criminals out to find stolen goods brought to her home, only she does not know where they are. Unfortunately for PENTHOUSE NORTH, despite more overt violence, it isn't even an eighth as scary as the older movie, which brilliantly built to a chilling confrontation in the dark and culminated in actual development for the traumatized, insecure protagonist played with real warmth and vulnerability by Audrey Hepburn. Heck, PENTHOUSE NORTH's not even as memorable as other thrillers which also used this concept in the past fifty years. SEE NO EVIL and HUSH are also superior thrillers about women with disabilities in peril, mainly because they are actually, well, thrilling. PENTHOUSE NORTH's highest dramatic moment is when Michael Keaton throws a cat off a roof. That's how lacking in tension this movie is.

The biggest problem with this movie is that the heroine's disability feels needless. Aside from one or two scenes with the men hiding around when she thinks she is alone, Sarah could have been just a woman with sight and the movie would have largely played out the same. The Afghanistan prologue and flashbacks are beyond pointless: the main action takes place three years after Sarah is blinded, by which time she's adjusted to her condition, more or less, making me wonder why the war-scene flashbacks are necessary since they lead to no significant character development or revelations. Aside from learning her boyfriend is a criminal (or... did she? The ending scene suggests she might have known... I think??), Sarah does not change or grow.

The thrills are mostly predictable and the villains are basic types. The character Chad is presented like a scary psychopath, but he's more of a dumb thug, and Michael Keaton phones it in as the smooth-talking brains of the criminal duo. There's not much of a cat-and-mouse game going on between Sarah and her assailants: it's mostly them torturing/groping/threatening her, then she briefly finds a means of escaping, only to be recaptured, rinse and repeat. Stakes don't build. Sarah never changes as a character. Nothing.

And that's this movie as a whole: a generic waste of time that can't even rise to the level of so bad it's good.

Penthouse North is a thriller that has slipped under the radar because it wrongly has been branded as unoriginal and generic. Most thrillers are unoriginal. However there are several elements one can focus on to keep things fresh. And I, like many can't get enough of twists and turns especially ones you don't see coming at all. This one does not rely on twists and turns. In a way that is going against the norm. Many thrillers these days are build around surprises which I like. But what I don't like is how they forget to build up to it. Often it comes out of the blue mostly just to shock you without actually having put real effort to make good use of scenery and atmosphere. One of the criticisms towards Penthouse North is that it uses a concept that has been done many times in the Seventies and Eighties. I don't see any reason why it can't be reused in this decade. It's a simple mechanic to limit our main character's movements. And therefore very effective. I am not going to say what it is. And I suggest you don't read about the premise or watch the trailer since the viewing experience will be so much better when you don't know anything. However that does not mean that this film is a little predictable. But what it lacks in surprises it compensates with very good buildup of tension. It's not always evenly paced but it's not boring. On top of that we have some decent to good acting. Michael Keaton for example might not give it all his best in this one. But he is one that never disappoints. At least I have yet to see one where he does. And here it is no different. He brings what is needed to the table convincingly and that is what matters. Penthouse North may not contain real surprises but it is one that is filled with tense moments and keeps your interest as long as it lasts.

Almost came close to giving it a 6 but I don't really think it has much replay value so I'll just leave it at a five.

Got interested in watching this after being pleasantly surprised by Michael Keaton's performance as a hit-man in MERRY GENTLEMAN so I was a little let down when he hadn't shown up in the first 25 minutes, but once he pops up (closer to the 30 minute mark), he becomes one of the key characters in the film.

Has a bit of a rough start in terms of truly getting going and feels slightly amateurish but once it gets going it gets decent enough to keep watching, Michelle Monaghan initially felt a little miscast during the war-segments but once she goes blind she feels more natural.

And even though Michael Keaton never feels truly threatening his screen-presence speaks for itself and makes it work somehow, it helps that Monaghan portrays her characters fear very well.

Barry Sloane is the third lead in the film and he's just okay, not bad but he doesn't come across as terribly menacing either and doesn't have the same star-power charisma that helped Keaton to make his role a bit better than it was.

As far as the story goes, we've kinda seen it all before although minor details feel fresh but they could have done so much more with it.

Yeah overall not a great movie, but not a complete disaster either.

Decent to watch on a slow Sunday afternoon perhaps.

Lifetime Channel movies are getting better...a little. They are using more well known movie actors, like Michael Keaton in this one. Blindsided is still not an award winning script or performance but it's much better than some (mind you I'm a Lifetime movie watcher, no matter how sappy, although I'm using a bit more discretion with my time nowadays) This movie has decent acting & suspense. It's still a bit predictable, but keeps you interested. The lead Michelle Monaghan is believable (and pretty) as a blind woman pursued by criminals, who think she knows where their "goods" are hidden. It reminds me of Audrey Hepburn's, 1967 classic film, Wait Until Dark, a much better movie. If you need something to watch on a slow weekend this will do. If you are a Lifetime movie watcher, this is a good one. 6.5 stars in my humble opinion. Jan 2014 (watched when first aired on TV)

You might like this movie if you enjoyed: Columbus Circle (1996), Brake (2012)

Long Story Short: Sarah (Michelle Monaghan), a former Military photojournalist, has lost her sight due to an incident in Afghanistan. She lives in a penthouse with her boyfriend Ryan (Andrew W. Walker) and feels safe there even though her sister (Kaniehtiio Horn) and brother-in law (Trevor Hayes) constantly tell her that they don't trust Ryan. It turns out that Ryan does have a secret and, which gets Sarah in great danger.

Review: I have never heard of that movie before but I thought I give it a shot, and it was not a bog let down, but I wasn't blown away either. The beginning is very strong and has a few "Edge- of- your- seat" – moments, but it doesn't keep this pace up, especially since there aren't any twists besides one tiny one at the beginning. I am not sure how her past of being a photojournalist in Afghanistan helped developing the story either, as far as I am concerned they didn't even have to mention why she was blind. All these flashbacks from her past seemed like fillers to me. The acting was decent, I saw a few nice skyscraper shots, but I was hoping for a big reveal at the end which didn't happen. Penthouse House is definitely a one- time watch but not a bad one.

Rating: 5.5