There is much more going on in this story than simply an over zealous black cop (Samuel L. Jackson) harassing an interracial couple that moves in next door. That’s what trailers for the film lead you to believe. 

Abel Turner (Jackson) has lived in his Lakeview Terrace neighborhood for about 20 years. He’s a widower with two young children, and he operates with enough do and don’t rules for the entire block. His reasons to be bitter range from why and how his wife was killed, to the people he deals with “on the job” in LA. Fact: Lakeview Terrace is the neighborhood where Rodney King was arrested and beaten. 

Abel is less than thrilled when Lisa (Kerry Washington), a black woman, moves in with her white husband Chris (Patrick Wilson of Evening and Hard Candy). Abel would likely have only been over the top rude were it not for legitimate transgressions by the couple into his space. One incident involves his children seeing them getting it on in the pool, and another is that Chris casually tosses his cigarette butts onto Abel’s property. 

One thing leads to another because Chris is a hothead, much like Abel. He martyrs himself with his defense (often imagined or exaggerated) regarding the relationship with his black wife. The relationship between the couple bothers not only Abel but Lisa’s father as well, portrayed by Ron Glass. The issue regarding having children highlights much about how people think when we see how Chris, Lisa and her father address that point. The couple also struggles with how their relationship changes as they deal with Abel’s increasingly hostile behavior.  

A home invasion gone bad and an out of control forest fire tie together a host of interesting situations that result in a tension bound drama.  

Ms. Washington exhibits the usual sexiness we’ve seen from her in (The Last King of Scotland and I Think I Love My Wife). Noteworthy is the performance by Jackson, which is the best we’ve seen him in since The Red Violin. It goes beyond an acting job that one can just phone in. 

Although the trailer is accurate, the film is much more than a case of black on white racism. There is that aspect to it, but the side effects of overt and subtle prejudice are shown that offer the positive side of the sometime tedium of being politically correct.