The Bedroom Window (1987)

The Bedroom Window is a diligent, suspenseful thriller from Curtis Hanson, who started as a proficient director of genre films (The River Wild, The Hand That Rocks the Cradle) before receiving widespread acclaim for L.A. Confidential. Hanson's trademark narrative efficiency is on display, making for a tense, focused story that mostly steers clear of predictability. In keeping with the director's minimal flash, leads Steve Guttenberg and Elizabeth McGovern exude comfort and competence, but little of the personality or charisma that would distract from his tight screenplay. Brad Greenquist does, however, make a menacing suspect, sporting a mixture of baby-faced innocence and deep-seated perversion. In one of the film's many nods to Hitchcock, Greenquist's eyes refocus with a murderous new understanding when he makes courtroom eye contact with the woman who witnessed his attack (Isabelle Huppert) -- a bit like the moment in Rear Window when Raymond Burr finally stares back at James Stewart's binoculars. Although the third act loses some steam from its promising predecessors, and there are some noticeably loose plot threads, these elements are too unimportant to undermine this smart little piece of noir entertainment. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide