MOVIEmeter
SEE RANK
Up 1,742 this week

The Lodger (2009)

5.7
Your rating:
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 -/10 X  
Ratings: 5.7/10 from 2,861 users   Metascore: 17/100
Reviews: 17 user | 57 critic | 8 from Metacritic.com

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:

Writers:

(screenplay), (book)
Watch Trailer
0Check in
0Share...

User Lists

Related lists from IMDb users

a list of 250 titles created 15 May 2011
 
a list of 230 titles created 6 months ago
 
a list of 97 titles created 15 Jan 2011
 
a list of 1497 titles created 1 month ago
 
a list of 1025 titles created 8 months ago
 

Connect with IMDb


Share this Rating

Title: The Lodger (2009)

The Lodger (2009) on IMDb 5.7/10

Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.

Take The Quiz!

Test your knowledge of The Lodger.
1 nomination. See more awards »

Videos

Photos

Learn more

People who liked this also liked... 

State of Play (2009)
Drama | Mystery
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.1/10 X  

A team of investigative reporters work alongside a police detective to try to solve the murder of a congressman's mistress.

Director: Kevin Macdonald
Stars: Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams
Horsemen (2009)
Crime | Drama | Mystery
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 5.5/10 X  

A recently widowed detective still grieving over his wife's death discovers a shocking connection between a serial killing spree and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

Director: Jonas Åkerlund
Stars: Dennis Quaid, Ziyi Zhang, Lou Taylor Pucci
Crime | Drama | Mystery
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 5.5/10 X  

A journalist goes undercover to ferret out businessman Harrison Hill as her childhood friend's killer. Posing as one of his temps, she enters into a game of online cat-and-mouse.

Director: James Foley
Stars: Halle Berry, Bruce Willis, Giovanni Ribisi
Fracture (2007)
Crime | Drama | Mystery
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.1/10 X  

An attorney intent on climbing the career ladder toward success, finds an unlikely opponent in a manipulative criminal he's trying to prosecute.

Director: Gregory Hoblit
Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Ryan Gosling, David Strathairn
Action | Crime | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 5.9/10 X  

Two veteran New York City detectives work on a case of serial executions of criminals who escaped justice.

Director: Jon Avnet
Stars: Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, 50 Cent
Mr. Brooks (2007)
Crime | Drama | Mystery
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.4/10 X  

A psychological thriller about a man who is sometimes controlled by his murder-and-mayhem-loving alter ego.

Director: Bruce A. Evans
Stars: Kevin Costner, Demi Moore, Dane Cook
Deception I (2008)
Crime | Drama | Mystery
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 5.9/10 X  

An accountant is introduced to a mysterious sex club known as The List by his lawyer friend. But in this new world, he soon becomes the prime suspect in a woman's disappearance and a multi-million dollar heist.

Director: Marcel Langenegger
Stars: Ewan McGregor, Hugh Jackman, Michelle Williams
Crime | Drama | Mystery
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 5.7/10 X  

Remake of the 1956 film noir film "Beyond a Reasonable Doubt" in which a writer's plan to expose a corrupt district attorney takes an unexpected turn.

Director: Peter Hyams
Stars: Jesse Metcalfe, Amber Tamblyn, Michael Douglas
Surveillance I (2008)
Crime | Drama | Mystery
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.3/10 X  

Two FBI agents attempt to clarify the murders occurring in a desolate region. They approach the witnesses of the latest incident with the help of the local police. All of them hide something and all have wildly different stories to tell.

Director: Jennifer Chambers Lynch
Stars: Caroline Aaron, Pell James, Julia Ormond
Transsiberian (2008)
Crime | Drama | Mystery
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.7/10 X  

A Trans-Siberian train journey from China to Moscow becomes a thrilling chase of deception and murder when an American couple encounters a mysterious pair of fellow travelers.

Director: Brad Anderson
Stars: Woody Harrelson, Emily Mortimer, Ben Kingsley
Mystic River (2003)
Crime | Drama | Mystery
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8/10 X  

With a childhood tragedy that overshadowed their lives, three men are reunited by circumstance when one loses a daughter.

Director: Clint Eastwood
Stars: Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon
Insomnia (2002)
Crime | Mystery | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.2/10 X  

Two Los Angeles homicide detectives are dispatched to a northern town where the sun doesn't set to investigate the methodical murder of a local teen.

Director: Christopher Nolan
Stars: Al Pacino, Martin Donovan, Hilary Swank
Edit

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
Chandler Manning
...
...
Street Wilkenson
...
Bunting
...
...
Amanda
...
Dr. Jessica Westmin
...
Malcolm
...
Sam (as Francois Chau)
...
Margaret
...
Bruce Lester
...
Dr. Stevens
...
Gregor
...
Rachel Madison
...
Warehouse Attendant
Edit

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. Written by Anonymous

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

Everyone Is Suspect


Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violent content, language and brief nudity | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
Edit

Details

Official Sites:

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

14 January 2009 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

A titokzatos lakó  »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

| (DVD)

Color:

See  »
Edit

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. See more »

Quotes

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

Connections

Version of Man in the Attic (1953) See more »

Soundtracks

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

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

 
Overplotted, but otherwise solid mystery
13 January 2010 | by See all my reviews

Serial killers will always be popular because there is a human fascination with the lurid, the sexual and the violent. They epitomize fear, and when making a movie about a copycat serial killer, who better to imitate than the most notorious serial killer of all time, Jack the Ripper? "The Lodger" represents the fourth version of the book by Marie Belloc Lowndes, including one directed by Alfred Hitchcock himself. Although it's nowhere near as good as anything the Master of Suspense put out, it is nonetheless an engaging and twisty mystery.

There are two stories that are at the center of the film, and as the story goes on, they become entwined. First is the story of two detectives, Chandler Manning (Alfred Molina) and Street Wilkensen (Shane West) who are on the trail of a killer who is imitating Jack the Ripper in West Hollwood. Second is the story of a landlady, Ellen Bunting (Hope Davis) who is curious about her new tenant, the attractive but aloof Malcolm (Simon Baker). There are a few subplots thrown in for good measure, but really, these are the only ones that matter.

Actually, that's the film's biggest problem. Writer/director David Ondaatje pads the film out, particularly in the first hour. While this helps camouflage the story's red herrings, the subject matter he includes is rather dull. The soundtrack is also uneven. For the most part, it's a solid and effective homage to the creepy music that one always finds in these sorts of movies. However, there are times when it doesn't work, and instead becomes, of all things, melodramatic! The acting is good all around, though. The cast is predominantly made up of character actors on the edge of stardom. Alfred Molina has worked his way up the ladder for the past 25 years, and is just now earning the top-billing he so justly deserves. Manning is a hard boiled detective with a temper. Molina is no Sam Spade, but I'm glad that the producers took a chance on casting an unusual choice, because Molina is always interesting. His co-star, Shane West, tries to shed his bad-boy image, and while no standout, he's not bad. Indie film favorite Hope Davis is also making headway into mainstream fare, and she's terrific as the mousy Ellen. This was clearly a chance for Simon Baker to cash in on his popularity from his show, "The Mentalist." I haven't seen that, but he caught my attention in the underrated "The Affair of the Necklace." Baker is excellent as the seductive lodger; we can see his soft-spoken charm, but there is always an aura of danger around him, and we can never fully trust him. Also on hand are the always reliable Philip Baker Hall, Rebecca Pigeon (aka Mrs. David Mamet) and Donal Logue (who, like West, is an ER alum). Hall and Pigeon are solid, if underused, but Logue is flat as Ellen's jerk husband.

The film is always interesting to look at. Most noirs of this ilk used black and white film to their advantage, but this is 2009, and the film has to make money (which is surprising coming from an indie film). However, Ondaatje uses the color to his advantage. The noir feeling is still there, but it has an interesting feeling of warmth. And I loved how he and his cinematographer David A. Armstrong filmed the rain; it's just like the golden oldies.

It may not be Hitchcock, but this mystery is still pretty good. We don't know the true identity of the killer until the end, and while there are two main suspects, we also know that we can't rule anyone else out either, which makes things more interesting. And for a movie with no CGI, it's always interesting to look at. And watch.


10 of 12 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

Message Boards

Recent Posts
Almost self-conscious 'homage' to Hitch. ronald-walker-1
why should i rent this? eyebleed
Mannings wife....???? stuckintheazores
shane and rachel leigh together?!! shanonian01
DVD Release.... stuckintheazores
Another 'Lodger' - 1944 benhere
Discuss The Lodger (2009) on the IMDb message boards »

Contribute to This Page

Create a character page for:
?