Like stunt casting that works. Big points for casting Bill Engvall, veteran comedian who proves himself with the 180 role in a suspense thriller, that teases horror.In this late review, won't cover what other reviewers have already pointed out. Just some observations that kept this film from being great.First, you will be reminded of Don't Breathe. Not a rip-off. Suspenseful carefully crafted 1st half, takes a turn for the worst in a ridiculous and rushed 2nd half, complete with sudden convoluted tonal character shifts, and motives that are not sublime, but seem thrown in a rewrite afterthought, day before filming.An example of a problem here. Troy (Engvall) is allegedly so careful about his secret operation, yet he reveals himself to John (Josh Stewart) before suddenly kidnapping his girlfriend (Alex Escoe) next day, but in scenes later shifts into a conflicted family man who is supporting his boys. He lastly reveals he is only a middle-man in a larger criminal operation that at no time, do we get a hint at what it is, or should care. Because it leads no where. No hidden meaning. Nothing. Somehow every criminal in this small town setting "knows all"...except when someone is hiding in the next room or escapes undetected, making a lot of cage clanking noise and screaming, just a few rooms away. In the competing film "Don't Breathe", you can't make a sound, but in this film you can break in and out of this house with bolt cutters and yell, and won't get noticed until one of the escapees throws a rock at the side of the house in a lame brained scheme to distract & escape.Sound awful? Yes. But it does have a crafty 1st half, and good performances. Talented Starry Eyes, Alex Escoe is wasted here in the aforementioned 2nd half disaster. Would love to see how this film turned out, if they actually finished it.

There were many opportunities throughout the movie to make the 'neighbor' more mysterious, more freaky, and more cunning, but these were quickly abandoned in favor of a more clichéd criminal. That is my largest disappointment with this film. Otherwise, it worked well as an action/thriller.The protagonists are caught up in a mob's smuggling operation, and they use a telescope to spy at people through the window. One day, the girlfriend (Who, I assume by the hero's subsequent panic is never supposed to leave the house) spots something incriminating and is nabbed by the neighbor. (Yes, this is the actual premise of the film, not the more innocent summaries I have read elsewhere. I don't know why they bother hiding the fact that their protagonists are criminals too).So everybody, who is incidentally criminal, is trying to get one up on each other by sleuthing, tackling, slashing, shooting and your usual hijinks. The movie has good photography, good soundtrack, and is a bit gritty - kind of like the only quality everybody seems to need to survive.

This film is about nothing, it's slow, it's atmospheric but it takes forever to film a wall....there's no story, the dialogue is abysmal, the acting laughable...the machismo is both abysmal and laughable. Please stop giving us just terrible quality....movies these days have gone down the toilet...they're worthless. I spent like an hour on this snoozefest for children...l mean it's not for children but the maturity level is such....just saddening. What is wrong with Hollywood these days? Is it piracy? Do they only get a million instead of many millions? Is there not enough millions? Can they only buy like one yacht? Is that it? Is it not enough? Seriously...

I'm a big fan of Marcus Dunstan. I'll never forget being in a hotel room late one night when a movie I'd never heard of called 'The Collector' came on, and I thought I'd give it a look. What followed were 90 of the most intense minutes I can remember seeing on film. While I still enjoyed 'The Neighbor', I can admit it didn't quite live up to those high standards. It's a fun premise, but instead of being tense from whoa to go, it has long sequences that are actually rather dull and hard to focus during. Those are really the only parts that let it down though, because the rest is excellent.Josh Stewart fills the lead role again. I think he's an under-appreciated actor. He brings a tremendous intensity to a movie and manages to be likable, even when playing a crook (although often a crook who is the lesser of two evils). The main villain isn't quite as memorable as 'The Collector', hence the more toned down film title of 'The Neighbor'. I suspect that is what Dunstan was going for though. A more grounded and realistic story, while still keeping all the suspense of his previous films. He almost pulls it off to perfection and with some simple editing tweaks this could have been something very special. Alas it will have to settle for being an above average thriller.