The Lodger (2009)

A couple rents out a room to a mysterious young man, who may or may not be guilty of a series of grisly neighborhood murders.

Director:

David Ondaatje

Writers:

David Ondaatje (screenplay), Marie Belloc Lowndes (book)

Stars:

Alfred Molina, Hope Davis, Shane West

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Alfred Molina	...	Chandler Manning
Hope Davis	...	Ellen Bunting
Shane West	...	Street Wilkenson
Donal Logue	...	Bunting
Philip Baker Hall	...	Captain Smith
Rachael Leigh Cook	...	Amanda
Rebecca Pidgeon	...	Dr. Jessica Westmin
Simon Baker	...	Malcolm
François Chau	...	Sam (as Francois Chau)
Mel Harris	...	Margaret
Michael O'Hagan	...	Bruce Lester
Roy Werner	...	Dr. Stevens
Ernie Grunwald	...	Gregor
Virginia Williams	...	Rachel Madison
David Storrs	...	Warehouse Attendant

Storyline

The tale of a serial killer in West Hollywood has two converging plot lines. The first involves an uneasy relationship between a psychologically unstable landlady and her enigmatic lodger; the second is about a troubled detective engaged in a cat-and-mouse game with the elusive killer, who is imitating the crimes of Jack the Ripper.

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Plot Keywords:

murder | lodger | serial killer | housewife | hooker | 

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Taglines:

Everyone Is Suspect

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violent content, language and brief nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Pictures

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 January 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

A titokzatos lakó

Filming Locations:

1420 N. Alta Vista Blvd., Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Merchant Pacific Corporation, Michael Mailer Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min 96 min (DVD)

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Goofs

The badges shown are for San Fransisco PD, not LAPD. Near the end of movie police are announcing the solving of the case with the help of LAPD and LA Sheriff Detectives, so badges worn by two lead detectives are correct as they are from LA SHeriff Detective Dept and their badges are star-shaped.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Street Wilkenson: Detective.
Chandler Manning: Wilkenson, right?

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Connections

Version of The Phantom Fiend (1932)

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Soundtracks

"Di Notte"
Performed by Sasha Lazard
Music by John Frizzell
Lyrics by Saverio Principini
Produced by John Frizzell

User Reviews

A Good Surprise

When a prostitute is found slain in West Hollywood, the veteran Detective Chandler Manning (Alfred Molina) investigates the case with his rookie partner Street Wilkenson (Shane West). Manning is facing a domestic problem with his wife that had had a nervous breakdown and is interned in an institution and his daughter that blames him for the situation of her mother. Meanwhile, the unstable and disturbed housewife Ellen Bunting (Hope Davis) and her frequently absent husband Bunting (Donal Logue) are facing financial problems and need to rent a guest house in the backyard. When the mysterious writer Malcolm Slaight (Simon Baker) rents the house, Bunting never sees the lodger and believes his wife is fabricating the tenant and her family has given the money to them. When a second hooker is found dead on the street, Manning concludes that the killer is copycatting the crimes of Jack the Ripper and is the same serial-killer that had murdered other streetwalkers seven years ago. Further, he concludes that the criminal Alonzo Rodriguez was wrongly sentenced to death for the murders.

When I decided to watch "The Lodger", my expectation was low and I expected to see a conventional thriller full of clichés. Fortunately I was wrong and I had a great surprise. This low-budget film has a good story and screenplay that keeps the mystery until the very last scene. There are subplots only to create diversion to the viewer and keep the mystery of the identity of the killer. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "O Inquilino" ("The Lodger")