Eye of the Beholder (1999)

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 Amazon.com

Where's the rest of the movie?

You'll find yourself asking this when this movie unexpectedly just "ends". I'm no movie cynic and I can usually find something to like in even the worst of films, but this one had the poorest, most bewildering ending I've ever seen. It made absolutely NO sense. May 1, 2008

Eye of the Beholder

This arrived very fast. I was really surprised. What can I say about this movie, it is spellbinding. You don't want to tke yours eyes off it for a minute for you might miss something. I watch it over and over (not every day) and always see something I had missed before. Buy it, it is GREAT!!!!
Ashley Judd is super !! April 29, 2008

correction

i just want to make a correction, in the editorial Tom Keogh states that the blind millionaire is one of ashley judd's character's victims when in fact he is the only one she doesn't kill, and is the only one she truly loved, ewan mcgregors charactor kills the blind millionaire out of jealousy.

this movie is really good, parts of it are confusing and negligible, but its really interesting.

August 21, 2007

MUST HAVE!

love ewan and this movie does put you on the edge of your seat May 6, 2007

Plenty of talent and charisma by Ashley Judd

This movie has the "Miami Vice" aspect to it, in terms of a lot
of effort, thought and artistic vision is brought to the VISUAL aspects
to the movie. The colors, the daylight, night light, the scenarios,
the mood that the time of a day can impact people.

It also has a European feel, which is welcome, in terms of emotion,
and a kind of burnout or depression that some people go through at
certain times of their lives, such as a mid-life crisis.

I agree that the actor, Ewan McGregor, being a young fella, throws
the story off-track, in terms of the type of relationship that is
suggested between the spy-killer Ashley Judd and himself, a
MI5 surveillance agent. In the movie, the similar ages make them on-par
with each other, so that a romantic or sexual relationship is perhaps
seen as credible. In reality, the book had suggested a different
type of relationship, more of a chaste, father-daughter, protective
relationshop, an old man protecting a girl similar to his own daughter,
that he lost a long time ago, in a nostalgic fashion. This will confuse
many viewers, but perhaps ...for those purely looking superficially,
will be more tasteful, to streer clear of any possible incestuous
relationship or old man with young girl controversy that otherwise
could have occurred had the movie's director not chosen Ewan McGregor.

There's plenty of action, plenty of talent and charisma shown by
Ashley Judd, so, for fans of this actress, and fans of "visual movies"
that try to seduce you by the "mood" is presents, it's great.

For those looking for a more objective, literal, plausible story,
or something resembling the book that inspired the movie, you may
be disappointed.
December 21, 2006

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