Mr-Fusion I was looking forward to Michael Keaton playing the heavy, but "Pacific Heights" is the wrong vehicle for that. He's playing the tenant from Hell, terrorizing couple-of-the-year Melanie Griffith and Matthew Modine, but I can only describe this is a real estate thriller - which is just as exciting as it sounds. Keaton goes from mustache-twirling to psychological manipulator, but the writing doesn't offer much to go on. His motivations are specious, while Modine's mood swings leave Griffith as the only character to root for. That's no secret, and it's why she's the one to get revenge.It's not terrible, but I did get frustrated with these characters far more than anyone should.5/10

SnoopyStyle Drake Goodman (Matthew Modine) and his girlfriend Patty Palmer (Melanie Griffith) are stretching their finances to the limit to buy a San Francisco house. They need to rent the two ground floor apartments to cover the mortgage. They rent one apartment to the nice Watanabes. The other one they rent to Carter Hayes (Michael Keaton). Carter seems to be well-off initially. Things turn quickly. Carter never pays rent. He causes problems. The law is on his side. The couple gets Stephanie MacDonald (Laurie Metcalf) as their lawyer.Matthew Modine is so angry and so unlikeable that it's hard to root for him. He keeps yelling at everybody and it happens very quickly after the first hurdle. Michael Keaton is a nice creepy villain. It's somewhat a horror. The problem is that it's not a fun horror. The thrills are derived from annoyance. It is very good at being an uncomfortable watch. It's actually a relief when Modine takes a backseat to Griffith. For what it is, this is expertly made.

MisterWhiplash Pacific Heights has characters - at least in the male leads - who are unlikable and/or are rather underdeveloped. To be sure, John Schlesinger casting Michael Keaton was a smart move: the man has screen charisma to burn, certainly at that time in 1989/1990, when he was hot off his two most iconic performances (Batman/Beetlejuice, both hard not to quote at times during this movie when those characters got at their most crazed). But I wonder what the thought was with Matthew Modine; I couldn't tell whether he was mis-cast, or if the part as just crummy. In any case, Modine and Melanie Griffith are boyfriend/girlfriend, expecting a baby, and with a new house right in the heart of San Francisco that they need to rent out some levels to. Due to a misunderstanding they miss out on the Nice Black Guy (darn, there goes his application down the stairs, and another plot device) and instead get Keaton's Carter Hayes as a tenant.But oh, what about the lease, or the rent? The mind games start immediately, and that's kind of a problem with the story. If the screenwriter took a little time to develop this man as somewhat of a threat, maybe make him interesting at first, perhaps even relatable, then gradually turn the screws in a gaslight fashion on these landlords, the suspense would be more palpable. As it is, Carter is basically a nut almost from minute one, and while one would think the audience should be on the Happy-But-Not-Now couple's side, Drake's reaction is that of super-high hysterics. He yells, he curses, he's played at level-11 in a manner that it's no wonder Carter can get the upper hand on this couple. Oh, and then there's the rather extreme things done to the place to make it foreclose-able: drills late at night, cockroach breeding to infestate, and other creepy moments.In other words, Pacific Heights is not one for subtlety. This doesn't mean the movie isn't entertaining on a completely trashy, sort of tasteless level. Scene after scene shows things getting worse for the good guys while the 'bad' guy gets away with this. And yet, this is in Planet Movie Land that he's doing this. So many questions get raised that the audience just has to accept when it comes to the laws regarding how a tenant can f*** with the landords and visa-versa; doesn't a, I don't know, LEASE have some major factor here? At first I couldn't figure out what Carter's game was, though once I realized it (and thanks to a double check via Ebert's review) it got clearer about this man's plot of divide, foreclose and conquer. And yet... who IS this antagonist? There are parts given some clarity in the third act, and it does start to get better as the proverbial tables get turned. And actually Griffith and Keaton turn in excellent performances, for what they're given to do. But the film has the subtlety of a baleen hammer, and the soundtrack by Hans Zimmer makes it pretty damn dated (moody saxophone, anyone?) I think there's a lot of potential with this sort of idea of one man entering a couple's life and making it into a living hell; right now in theaters we have The Gift by Joel Edgerton, which is a much more clever update of this kind of premise, though mostly because things make logical sense with the plot. A lot happens in this movie, at least it feels that way in the first hour, but the main characters either act clueless or rather stupidly, with Carter as this weird psycho without any explanation. This isn't to say everything should've been spelled out, but a little more character clarity on the part of Carter - or a more gradual progression of the character mechanics - might have made it a legitimately good movie.As it is, Pacific Heights is at best a guilty pleasure, a flick that's not dated well but certainly has a lot of fun moments in watching these actors play these sorta-yuppies in this would-be cat/mouse game. Did I mention how much fun it is quoting Keaton's "LET'S GET NUTS?!" in the climax? 5.5/10

seymourblack-1 It's very unusual for a conflict between a house-owning couple and a strange tenant to provide the plot for a psychological thriller but in "Pacific Heights", that's exactly what happens. This set-up is initially intriguing but soon takes on a darker complexion as it gradually becomes apparent just how sinister and dangerous the newest occupant of the house really is. The tension then builds steadily as the conflict becomes increasingly intense and the stakes get higher.Drake Goodman (Matthew Modine) and his girlfriend Patty Palmer (Melanie Griffith) are an ambitious middle-class couple who decide to buy a Victorian house in the Pacific Heights neighbourhood of San Francisco. They both know that the property is really beyond their means, but after massaging some of the figures on their mortgage application, they soon become the proud owners of the impressive house which also needs some renovation work which they decide to undertake themselves. The financial commitment they've taken on is only sustainable if they let the two downstairs apartments and so arranging for this to be done becomes a priority.A very pleasant Japanese couple soon move into one of the apartments and among the applicants for the second one is a well-dressed, smooth-talking, charmer called Carter Hayes (Michael Keaton). Drake is so impressed by Hayes (who carries a large amount of cash with him and drives a Porsche) that he doesn't insist on him completing a credit application. Hayes promises that he'll pay six months rent in advance and that he'll arrange for this to be done by wire transfer. Before any money is actually paid, Hayes moves into the apartment and after a great deal of stalling, refuses to pay any rent.Things get progressively worse when Hayes moves a friend in and starts hammering and drilling loudly at all times of the day and night. The couple get anxious about what's being done inside the apartment and the Japanese couple move out because the disturbance they suffer through the nights is intolerable, as is the plague of cockroaches which suddenly infests their apartment. Drake stops Hayes' drilling by cutting off the electricity but this action gets him into trouble with the police and later, his efforts to get Hayes evicted also fail because the law always seems to be on the tenant's side.A series of further provocations continue to pile pressure on the couple whose relationship suffers as Drake starts to drink too much and Patty suffers a miscarriage. They feel totally powerless until some action that Patty takes gives her an opportunity to get rid of Hayes but what happens later isn't necessarily what she would've hoped for or expected.Michael Keaton is a tremendous villain and utterly convincing as the psychopathic scam artist who's an expert at acquiring properties by unorthodox means and at very favourable prices. Melanie Griffith also does really well as Patty who is far more rational and intelligent than her partner and who also provides some of the most enjoyable moments of the movie when she decides to turn the tables on Hayes. Matthew Modine also gives an energetic performance as the hot-headed, impulsive and not-very-bright Drake whose actions regularly do more harm than good."Pacific Heights" is entertaining, less predictable than many thrillers and definitely not "run of the mill". It's these qualities together with the performances of Keaton and Griffith that ultimately make this such an enjoyable movie to watch.