I remember when this one came out. I was very eager to see it, as until this film, and Batman before it, I had only seen Micheal Keaton in comedies. So throwing him in a thriller, as the baddie? How could I not tune in.

Melanie Griffith and Matthew Modine portray Patty and Drake a young couple who are buying their first home, a gorgeous place, that they can barely afford. But if they refurbish and rent out two of the apartments, they may be able enough to get by until it’s all paid for.

In one apartment, they get a nice little couple, the Watanabes (Mako! and Nobu McCarthy) and with some manipulation, Carter Hayes (Keaton) is able to take up residence in the the bachelor apartment.

He is able to convince Drake that he has sent a wire transfer with the rent, but Drake’s bank must have screwed it up. So now, he’s in the residence, and as a tenant, paid or not, he has rights.

And very soon, he is causing problems. There’s noise at all hours of the night, Drake is unable to get in to the apartment, and when he and Carter do clash, the police are on his side.

The couple hires a lawyer Stephanie (Laurie Metcalf) to help them out, and she warms them to be careful. She’ll do what she can, but they’d better hope that things don’t get personal.

And that’s exactly what happens.

Carter tries to provoke them at every opportunity, and knows the law and how it protects him. He does this for a living. And he has a plan.

I remember seeing this with my friend Cheryl back when it came out. And I hadn’t seen it since then. So I figured why not have a look?

And what?! Hans Zimmer did the score!

It’s an okay film. And the idea of an eviction thriller is definitely fun. Keaton is head and shoulders above Modine and Griffith in this film. He embraces his badness, and can really look evil when he wants to. And it’s great to see him get his comeuppance as the tables slowly get turned.

It’s very much a 90s thriller in terms of shooting style and pacing. And while it doesn’t feel dated, it doesn’t move as quickly or smoothly as you would expect a thriller today to do.

Nonetheless, Keaton is awesome and there is some creepy stuff going on in the way he deals with Patty and Drake. It’s enjoyable, and well-crafted, it just doesn’t feel like as big a film as I thought it was at the time.

It’s worth a look, but it’s not fantastic. But Keaton… well, he definitely is. And there’s also some great casting! There’s Beverly D’Angelo, Carl Lumbly, Dan Hedaya, Jerry Hardin and Tracey Walter!