Penthouse North

PENTHOUSE NORTH appears to be an unacknowledged remake of the Audrey Hepburn vehicle WAIT UNTIL DARK in which the actress played a blind woman menaced by hoods in her apartment. In this one, it's Michelle Monaghan who finds herself at the mercy of a couple of vicious thugs who are desperate to get their hands on some missing loot. The two movies have the same premise but the general narrative is fairly different. And it's clear from the beginning that this is no WAIT UNTIL DARK. It is, however, a solid enough little thriller that makes good use of its single-location setting and which keeps the suspense ratcheted up from the outset. Yes, there are the usual implausibilities and plot holes that these kinds of high-concept thrillers usually have, but for the most part it works. One of the biggest detractions is Monaghan, I have to say. This actress showed a lot of promise when I saw her back in MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE III, but in this and SOURCE CODE she's been pretty bland. At least there's one seasoned performer in the cast, Michael Keaton playing the chief bad guy, and he seems to be having a ball with this. In any case, it's not a perfect film but it did keep me watching.

Review: This movie seemed like it was made for TV because it's your typical thriller about a blind lady who has to protect herself against baddies who are looking for diamonds. It was good to see Michael Keaton back on the big screen, but this isn't really a movie that will be that memorable. I was waiting for twists in the storyline, but it just turned out to be a straight forward foodie against baddie type of movie. The whole film was only based around 3 characters so the director didn't have that much to work with as it was all based in the blind girls flat. At the end of the day, it's just a average movie with average performances and plot. Round-Up: The director really should have used Michael Keaton better because he is a great actor who usually pulls out great performances when he is pushed. Monaghan didn't really do a Pacino in Scent of a Woman, as the blind girl, but that's not to say that she didn't do well with an average script. There was loads of times throughout the movie when it could have switched into a whodunit type of film, but the director just kept it plain and simple. I recommend this movie to people who,are into there drama/thriller type of movies about a couple of guys looking for stolen diamonds in a blind girls apartment. 3/10

we couldn't even finish this as it was ridiculous from the get-go. UM. you're in an apt bldg - maybe scream or something? I love love love Michael Keaton but he seemed very fake and uninterested and it was "everything that could go wrong" could type thing..Sorry, a waste of the 30mn we forced ourselves to sit through.

I can only assume this was another sloppy case of 'Hmmm, it's really tough trying to think of a new story. Hey, let's just rip off a classic and hope that our audience will be too young to realise!' Stop me if this starts to sound vaguely familiar .... In 1967 Alan Arkin and Richard Crenna starred with Audrey Hepburn in Terence Young's 'Wait Until Dark'. She played a blind woman alone in her apartment, with, unknown to her, something very valuable; they played two hoods out to get it. By any means. Wonderfully acted. Wonderfully written. Wonderfully directed. And wonderfully scary. None of the above could be applied to Penthouse North. A waste of talent.

Lifetime Channel movies are getting better...a little. They are using more well known movie actors, like Michael Keaton in this one. Blindsided is still not an award winning script or performance but it's much better than some (mind you I'm a Lifetime movie watcher, no matter how sappy, although I'm using a bit more discretion with my time nowadays) This movie has decent acting & suspense. It's still a bit predictable, but keeps you interested. The lead Michelle Monaghan is believable (and pretty) as a blind woman pursued by criminals, who think she knows where their "goods" are hidden. It reminds me of Audrey Hepburn's, 1967 classic film, Wait Until Dark, a much better movie. If you need something to watch on a slow weekend this will do. If you are a Lifetime movie watcher, this is a good one. 6.5 stars in my humble opinion. Jan 2014 (watched when first aired on TV)

The storyline in "Penthouse North" was fairly generic and predictable, but it still made for an entertaining enough movie. However, it is not the type of movie that you watch more than once. The story is about a war photographer by the name of Sara, who loses her eyesight while on assignment. Years later, living a reclusive life with her boyfriend, Sara comes home to find her boyfriend murdered and the killer still in the apartment. Story-wise then "Penthouse North" wasn't particularly innovative or outstanding, but it was entertaining enough for what it turned out to be. It was adequately paced, but didn't really have many 'edge-of-your-seat' moments, which a good thriller should have. What made the movie watchable was the acting performances of Michelle Monaghan and Michael Keaton. There are far better and exciting thrillers available, but "Penthouse North" is still worth giving a chance. Who knows, it might just be what you have been looking for.

At least since Hitchcock, there have been dozens of movies where a crippled person suffers from or witnesses a crime within a limited space and time. Using blindness is no exception, but the screenwriter and director here have ignored or forgotten that the blind have other senses stronger than "ordinary" people, thus creating some "thrilling" scenes which are non-real. The plot in general, however, is probable, although the flashbacks provide no additional value to the movie. As for the cast, the best performance is carried out by Michael Keaton; the rest are okay, but not so memorable, Michelle Monaghan's as the leading character Sara's depiction is in-consequent - perhaps due to the script... On the whole, the movie has its moments and the thrill is there, but there are too many predictable moments (incl. the ending) and unrealistic scenes.

Bon film !