This review was written for the theatrical release of "Civic Duty." 

NEW YORK -- A compelling psychological thriller that well taps into our current national paranoia about terrorism, "Civic Duty" offers a powerful performance by Peter Krause as a man who becomes obsessed with his suspicious Islamic neighbor. While the film doesn't fully succeed in its striving for a Hitchcock-style ambiguity in its storytelling, it is consistently engrossing in its exploration of the fine line between civic duty and vigilantism.

"Duty" recently was showcased at the Tribeca Film Festival.

Krause, who demonstrated in "Six Feet Under" that he is particularly skillful at conveying the darkness underlying a handsome facade, plays Terry Allen, an accountant with an obvious short fuse who has just lost his job. Reduced to spending his time puttering around at home while sending out resumes, he becomes increasingly suspicious of the young graduate student who has just moved into his apartment complex.

The man in question, Gabe Hassan (Khaled Abol Naga), acts in a rather suspicious manner, including taking out his garbage in the middle of the night and receiving visits from a variety of Muslim men. Although his otherwise supportive fiancee (Kari Matchett) is deeply skeptical of his fears, Terry reports his apprehensions to a clearly overworked and disinterested FBI agent (Richard Schiff).

Terry becomes obsessed with proving the man's guilt, at one point even illegally entering his apartment in search of evidence. Eventually, he takes matters into his own hands, leading to a tense and violent showdown with the police.

Andrew Joiner's taut screenplay mainly succeeds in its goal of keeping us guessing as to Gabe's guilt and Terry's sanity. Although it lapses into melodrama towards the end, along the way it provides a harrowingly suspenseful depiction of a situation that has universal implications.

Director Jeff Renfroe provides a superbly modulated tension, especially in his use of camera and editing effects to convey the main character's inner turmoil.

Onscreen nearly every minute, Krause delivers a tour-de-force performance. He is well matched by his charismatic co-star, who must constantly keep us guessing as to whether his character is an innocent victim or a deadly terrorist.