One of those Premise Thrillers. Here it's about a renter renting from a young couple who bought a building. Matthew Modine and Melanie Griffith look like yuppies but aren't because they have little money so that's both their sympathy and motivation to need rent that Michael Keaton's shyster is holding back, and back and back.
Meanwhile he's a squatter from hell who plagues the place with roaches, hammering noises and endless mind games in an annoying movie that's intentional since the villain's purpose is to drive the protagonists crazy. But there's not enough mix and match, and Michael Keaton has very little to do but sit around in shadows trying to look sleazy (under director John Schlesinger's modern Noir aesthetic). A shame since we know how charming Keaton can be. Imagine dark comedy playing a factor. After all, is this young-couple-harasser any different than Beetlejuice?
The main problem with the film is how ridiculously overboard the landlords get, and how cops, loan officers and even their own lawyer (and a judge) tells them how screwed they are and how there's no way they can fight back. This isn't how life really is, but it's how the director decided to create friction, though without much suspense (see his MARATHON MAN if you want a more flowing sparse thriller).
Meanwhile he's a squatter from hell who plagues the place with roaches, hammering noises and endless mind games in an annoying movie that's intentional since the villain's purpose is to drive the protagonists crazy. But there's not enough mix and match, and Michael Keaton has very little to do but sit around in shadows trying to look sleazy (under director John Schlesinger's modern Noir aesthetic). A shame since we know how charming Keaton can be. Imagine dark comedy playing a factor. After all, is this young-couple-harasser any different than Beetlejuice?
The main problem with the film is how ridiculously overboard the landlords get, and how cops, loan officers and even their own lawyer (and a judge) tells them how screwed they are and how there's no way they can fight back. This isn't how life really is, but it's how the director decided to create friction, though without much suspense (see his MARATHON MAN if you want a more flowing sparse thriller).