Pacific Heights is unusual among psycho-thrillers because of its completely different approach to psychological terror. Instead of a Freddy Krueger or a Michael Myers we have Michael Keaton as a psychotic tenant who makes life hell for his landlords Melanie Griffith and Matthew Modine. Knowing every legal loophole in the book, his weapons of choice are restraining orders and civil suits, not butcher knives and chainsaws. Driving them to increasingly desperate measures to evict him, Keaton dreams up new and more sadistic methods to torment them.
I've always thought Pacific Heights is rather underrated. It's got a mite more intelligence than you'd expect from Hollywood's hijacked psycho-stalker genre. John Schlesinger directs it all with confidence, but then he's an old hand in this area. And Michael Keaton is wonderfully malevolent. His presence makes the entire movie. I've always enjoyed the course the film takes us on. Even if it occasionally gets into some muddy areas along the way, Pacific Heights is compelling to the very end.
Modine and Griffith play Drake Goodman and Patty Palmer. A young and naive yuppie couple, they renovate a Victorian house in San Francisco. Truthfully, the house is more than they can afford, but can (barely) make ends meet by renting out two downstairs apartments. One to a nice Japanese couple. And the other to businessman Carter Hayes (Keaton).
Hayes moves in without permission, or even a down payment. He locks himself in, not paying any rent. He has a roommate, who hammers away to all hours of the night. He changes the locks. Breeds cockroaches. Drives away the other tenants. And because no money is coming in, Drake and Patty's legal status is becoming all the more shakier. As is they're relationship.
Pacific Heights is a film that comes with a certain appeal when looked at closely enough. The idea of a tenant being able to have more power than a landlord is scary stuff. I didn't always believe some of the stunts the film pulls. Unleashing hordes of cockroaches is perhaps going a little too far. Even for a psycho-thriller. Even a tenant who knows how to manipulate the law for his own purposes would have to face culpability sometime.
And yet at the same time, Pacific Heights is a constant source of fascination. Hayes leads Drake and Patty through a wonderfully complex legal minefield. Its surprisingly the film's threats of foreclosure and mounting bills that are more effective than its outright sinister approaches.
This is a criminally overlooked performance on Michael Keaton's resume. In fact he's always been an actor long overdue recognition. Hot off the success of Batman, Keaton plunges right into the role of Carter Hayes with pure, unadulterated relish. Even though Hayes' motivations are never exactly made clear, its Keaton's performance that sells the character.
This is a man with no redeeming qualities whatsoever. He apparently comes from a broken home. Shut out of the family fortune. Disowned. So now he takes a perverse pleasure in destroying the lives of those happier than his. Keaton is a powerful presence. All the more remarkable considering he spends most of the film behind closed doors.
Whenever Keaton is around, you sit up and pay attention. But I can't really say the same for Modine and Griffith. Modine is annoying the way he stupidly plays into Hayes' hands time and again.
And as for Griffith, she only really comes into her own towards the end. Melanie Griffith once showed signs of being a promising actress in the 80s. Witness her superb performance in Working Girl. But over the years her star has paled, and now she's nothing more than another face in the crowd.
But towards the end, we finally see something of the promise she showed in Working Girl. She exacts a little revenge on Hayes by playing him at his own game. She tracks him down to a swanky hotel, has his bank account frozen, and charges hundreds of dollars worth of room service to his credit card. That's the Melanie I remember.
But elsewhere, every shred of enjoyment to be had comes courtesy of Keaton. There is something wonderfully poetic to Pacific Heights at times. Not to mention unnerving. Like when Hayes calmly provokes Drake into beating the crap out of him, because the stress of all this causes a pregnant Patty to suffer a miscarriage. And best of all, Drake is legally restrained from entering his own home. Because of Hayes' presence there.
The climax is pretty good too. That's the point when Schlesinger (and Keaton) forgets about being courteous, and launches into all out psycho mode. Complete with nail-guns and spikes.
Pacific Heights is maddeningly vague at times about where its going to go next. But I think its a worthwhile film, and well worthy of reevaluation. Also look out for a fine turn from the underrated Laurie Metcalf as Drake and Patty's attorney. She lights up the screen just as much as Keaton does.
I've always thought Pacific Heights is rather underrated. It's got a mite more intelligence than you'd expect from Hollywood's hijacked psycho-stalker genre. John Schlesinger directs it all with confidence, but then he's an old hand in this area. And Michael Keaton is wonderfully malevolent. His presence makes the entire movie. I've always enjoyed the course the film takes us on. Even if it occasionally gets into some muddy areas along the way, Pacific Heights is compelling to the very end.
Modine and Griffith play Drake Goodman and Patty Palmer. A young and naive yuppie couple, they renovate a Victorian house in San Francisco. Truthfully, the house is more than they can afford, but can (barely) make ends meet by renting out two downstairs apartments. One to a nice Japanese couple. And the other to businessman Carter Hayes (Keaton).
Hayes moves in without permission, or even a down payment. He locks himself in, not paying any rent. He has a roommate, who hammers away to all hours of the night. He changes the locks. Breeds cockroaches. Drives away the other tenants. And because no money is coming in, Drake and Patty's legal status is becoming all the more shakier. As is they're relationship.
Pacific Heights is a film that comes with a certain appeal when looked at closely enough. The idea of a tenant being able to have more power than a landlord is scary stuff. I didn't always believe some of the stunts the film pulls. Unleashing hordes of cockroaches is perhaps going a little too far. Even for a psycho-thriller. Even a tenant who knows how to manipulate the law for his own purposes would have to face culpability sometime.
And yet at the same time, Pacific Heights is a constant source of fascination. Hayes leads Drake and Patty through a wonderfully complex legal minefield. Its surprisingly the film's threats of foreclosure and mounting bills that are more effective than its outright sinister approaches.
This is a criminally overlooked performance on Michael Keaton's resume. In fact he's always been an actor long overdue recognition. Hot off the success of Batman, Keaton plunges right into the role of Carter Hayes with pure, unadulterated relish. Even though Hayes' motivations are never exactly made clear, its Keaton's performance that sells the character.
This is a man with no redeeming qualities whatsoever. He apparently comes from a broken home. Shut out of the family fortune. Disowned. So now he takes a perverse pleasure in destroying the lives of those happier than his. Keaton is a powerful presence. All the more remarkable considering he spends most of the film behind closed doors.
Whenever Keaton is around, you sit up and pay attention. But I can't really say the same for Modine and Griffith. Modine is annoying the way he stupidly plays into Hayes' hands time and again.
And as for Griffith, she only really comes into her own towards the end. Melanie Griffith once showed signs of being a promising actress in the 80s. Witness her superb performance in Working Girl. But over the years her star has paled, and now she's nothing more than another face in the crowd.
But towards the end, we finally see something of the promise she showed in Working Girl. She exacts a little revenge on Hayes by playing him at his own game. She tracks him down to a swanky hotel, has his bank account frozen, and charges hundreds of dollars worth of room service to his credit card. That's the Melanie I remember.
But elsewhere, every shred of enjoyment to be had comes courtesy of Keaton. There is something wonderfully poetic to Pacific Heights at times. Not to mention unnerving. Like when Hayes calmly provokes Drake into beating the crap out of him, because the stress of all this causes a pregnant Patty to suffer a miscarriage. And best of all, Drake is legally restrained from entering his own home. Because of Hayes' presence there.
The climax is pretty good too. That's the point when Schlesinger (and Keaton) forgets about being courteous, and launches into all out psycho mode. Complete with nail-guns and spikes.
Pacific Heights is maddeningly vague at times about where its going to go next. But I think its a worthwhile film, and well worthy of reevaluation. Also look out for a fine turn from the underrated Laurie Metcalf as Drake and Patty's attorney. She lights up the screen just as much as Keaton does.