Eye of the Beholder
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DVD details
Actor: Ashley Judd, Ewan McGregorDVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 109 minutes
Published: 2000-05-01
DVD Release Date: 2002-05-28
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
DVD Reviews of Eye of the Beholder
DVD Review: Wow!
Summary: 4 Stars
If ever a movie was put forth that concentrates on the extreme sense of loss and loneliness that a person can experience in life, it is the latest film by Stephan Elliot. "Eye of the Beholder" is a vibrant package of gorgeous thrills that are as stunning as the lead actors' preformances as well as the splendid cinematography. While the movie may be confusing to some, and previews will surely mislead those in the mood for action sequences, those of you in the market for suspense that keeps mounting amidst an alluring backdrop shall be enthralled. Ewan McGregor (Trainspotting, The Pillow Book) stars as The Eye, an undercover agent assigned to investigate the blackmail of a government official's son. Upon tracking the suspect, he soon dicsovers that the blackmailer, a sexy yet sinister woman, is really a serial killer with deep emotional instability. As his surveillance continues, he begins to develop feelings for her, and his connection with her costs him his loyalty to his work as he works to keep her safe from the hands of the law. The pace builds with intensity as he gets closer to her, but to reveal himself would mean losing her forever. The film, based upon the 1980 novel by Marc Behm, while slandered by the highest of critics, is, in my opinion, a stunning visual and emotional achievement that sweeps its audience into an involving and tragic story of obsession, loss and loneliness. Says director Stephan Elliott: "I saw it as a story of two lost souls... that is what The Eye and Joanna Eris share- a deep sense of loss." Those feelings of loss are beautifully acted by Judd and McGregor, who play their parts with a unique brand of mystery and intensity. As The Eye, McGregor's moods change as swiftly as his location, shifting from stern and involved-with-work to emotionally imbalanced as he thinks of his losses and the woman he cannot hope to gain. Judd's Eris moves with catlike precision throughout the film, gliding through the streets with just the right degree of wariness and suspicion. It is evident from her portrayal that Judd is an actress worthy of playing a woman constantly on the run. Certain filmmaking effects help to contribute to the intensity of certain moments in the film. The scene on the street in New York City, in which Eris steps out of her apartment and is told by her landlord that a strange man has "been following her around all week," is moved at a suspenseful pace by close-ups of Eris, now required to keep her guard up, an ear-pounding techno score by Marius de Vries, and close-ups of pedestrians from her point-of-view. Another example of sound effects adding to the quickening suspense is the scene on the sidewalk of Chicago, where Joanna outsmarts The Eye and begins following him. The sound of this sequence is devoid of all else except for the footsteps of these two characters, creating a void in which they alone reside. One reason for the film's negative criticism was its ad campaigning. Theatrical trailers and television commercials promoted the film to be a fast-paced action piece, when in truth, it is a slow-building story with an very involving plot that takes its time to unfold and reveal. Those looking for a movie that gives its answers in the first fifteen minutes will be surely disappointed, but those who look for involvement and creativity will be pleased with this film, which is a wonderful achievement.
Description of Eye of the Beholder
Ewan McGregor stars as The Eye, an isolated British intelligence agent. The Eye's current mission is to track Joanna Eris (Ashley Judd), a woman suspected of blackmailing the son of a senior British official. But Eris is far more than a blackmailer. she is a master of disguise, a frenzied murderer, a lost orphan and a mystery whose rage is as fierce as her beauty.This problematic thriller boasts several inspired elements, especially intelligent, committed performances by leads Ewan McGregor and Ashley Judd, both of whom have become hot commodities. Fans should definitely investigate their incisive work here, even if McGregor and Judd's talents are ultimately cast into a lost cause.
Judd plays a black-widow serial murderer named Joanna, who is systematically seducing and killing men who, in one way or another, are outside the ordinary. (Among her victims is a blind mulimillionaire, played by Patrick Bergin, and a nasty loser portrayed, surprisingly, by Jason Priestley.) McGregor is on board as a British intelligence agent who happens to be following her. Referred to as "the Eye," McGregor's operative is a haunted man abandoned years before by his wife and daughter. His isolation is such that he holds imaginary conversations with the latter, and she advises him to take pity on Joanna and protect her even as she carries on with her monstrous mission.
That's precisely what he does, at a distance, ushering in comparisons to Hitchcock's classics about voyeurism and obsession, particularly Vertigo and Rear Window. (Allusions to Francis Coppola's The Conversation are unavoidable as well.) But despite the great material (the 1980 source novel by Marc Behm was highly praised by The New York Times) and a fascinating cast (including Geneviève Bujold and k.d. lang), Eye of the Beholder bogs down in Stephan Elliott's often thoughtless, obvious direction. Elliott (Priscilla, Queen of the Desert) grinds down several members of the cast by insisting on dreary, one-note performances, and he makes a long movie seem even longer by telegraphing story twists and other developments long before they happen. Justice would be served if one could extract Judd and McGregor's appearances here and graft them onto a better movie, but so it goes. --Tom Keogh
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