Lakewood Terrace explores the drama in moving to a new neighborhood, to find out that your next door neighbor, Abel Turner played by Sam Jackson, is a local cop with a quirky habit of sticking his nose in every one's business on the block.  He is tough, suspicious of everyone, very conservative, a widower, with two children one a teenage girl. Further he is vocal about his beliefs and tries to put them on others. 

Chris and Lisa are an inter-racial couple, strike one with Abel, they are loose and carefree, emotionally mature and liberal.  Abel has lived in the neighborhood almost 20 years and resents the couple from day one.  At first things seem small, petty nuisances that a neighbor can work out, but as time progresses and the couple start to fight back, more and more the anger is escalating.  Then some dark secrets are revealed over drinks that later will play an import part in the conclusion. 

The movie explores some stereotypes of cops and how they stick together, the power trips that can seduce a good person and policeman into a depraved vengeful character.  It also explores race and how it affects our perceptions of marriage and neighborhood.  I found it hard to believe that this man who so loved his children would allow himself to risk his all just to win an argument.

I happen to like Sam Jackson so in all I'm not unbiased.  I like the way his character, regretfully for the sake of the plot has to go down the dark side when almost any reasonable person would not have allow feelings that Abel has in this movie.  We are reminded that we don't live alone even when we think we do.  There is precious little space for people in crowded cities and suburbs.  We really do need to learn to live and let live, and take a more libertarian view, and stay out of other peoples business. At the same time, we can expect confrontation when we start telling what people can and can not do in their homes.

Look at the election cycle and we understand as the season wears on it gets more and more toxic. We end up hating both candidates.  I kept going over in my mind, how would I have diffused this?  I have had neighbors that were grievous but have always found a a way to make it work for both of us. 

Some how this could have been better if there were a better confrontation with Abel and Lisa, and Cris wasn't treated as a buffoon in most scenes until his life and his wife's life are on the line.  So the script needed some work.  The characters were all lacking too.  I even think Sam Jackson Gets Abel but still it still misses the mark. 

 Not a real memorable movie.  I have a hard time recommending it but somehow I want you to see it ?