What one thing does a sociopath love more than himself? Ruining people’s lives for the mere fun of it. And here we have the best film depiction of it. No one gets hurt (not in any meaningful way at least) but boy do lives get wrecked. Michael Keaton plays the dastardly sociopath Carter Hayes who becomes a tenant to the new homeowners Patty and Drake (Melanie Griffith and Matthew Modine) who scrimp and save to buy their first “house and income” in Pacific Heights.
San Francisco. In time it becomes clear that Carter makes a living out of ripping off young innocent landlords. Whilst slightly aged (it was released in 1990), this film is still a brilliant well-paced movie that is worth the time to watch. It is a once-a-year movie for me – even before my recent experience. The film opens with another realistic element: a sociopath being beaten by a former victim who has caught up with him. The movie also has a minor role for Tippi Hedren, Melanie Griffith’s mother and the star of Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds.