The Sight (2000)

Michael Lewis, is a young New York architect who has recently experienced a series of frightening visions and dreams. His confusion heightens when he hits and old woman who steps in front of his car. In his arms, she utters his name before dying. Amazingly, the woman visits him – in the form of a spirit. While alive she had the ability to see spirtis and her mission was to help them complete their unfinished business on earth before moving on to the next world. She’s now passed this legacy and a number of angry spirits to Michael, the only human being to share her unique gift. She tells Michael he must embrace these powers and start by solving the mystery of the serial murderer at large. With the help of Isobel, a beautiful ghost, Michael sets out to discover the truth and catch the killer.

Above average pilot for a series that never was

A seemingly chance encounter with an old lady results in architect Michael Lewis (Andrew McCarthy) developing the ability to see and communicate with dead people. One of the ghosts he sees is that of a little girl who was murdered by a serial killer and Lewis is enlisted to solve her murder so that she can rest in peace.

This movie was shown on Australian television as a lunch time movie (a time-slot not exactly renown for it's high quality entertainment) and I watched it solely because I will watch just about anything that stars Andrew McCarthy, no matter how bad it might be (and a lot of his later films are pretty bad). It, therefore, came as quite a surprise to me when this film turned out to be a pretty good murder mystery that kept me guessing right up until the end. This movie is, in fact, a pilot for a TV series that was never made, and at the end of it, I was genuinely disappointed that this series hadn't been picked up. I really wanted to see more.

This movie was written and directed by Paul W.S. Anderson, director of such classics as "Resident Evil" and "Alien vs Predator" (interpret that information whichever way you choose) and has an interesting "Alice in Wonderland" theme throughout (which I think is meant to symbolize Lewis's transition into a strange new world, "down the rabbit hole", so to speak - whatever it means, I enjoyed spotting the "Alice" references). Unfortunately, this film seems to currently be unavailable in the US (it is available on DVD in Australia, however), which is a shame because this is a good film and a cut above your average pilot or made-for-television movie.
June 27, 2008

THE SIGHT DVD

LOVED IT! VERY ENTERTAINING SHOULD HAVE BEEN A SERIES LEAVES YOU WANTING MORE. March 28, 2008

Great Entertaiment!

You will totally love this movie, especially if you are an avid Kevin Tighe fan as am I. His supportive role gave great credibility to the movie. The suspense and the mood will keep you on the edge of your seat right up to the very end. There are moments that will make you jump out of your chair one minute and have you laughing the next...so get the popcorn ready, turn out the lights, call a friend to come over and watch The Sight and enjoy! March 13, 2007

I see dead people...and solve their murder.

This was obviously a pilot for a TV series that never happened. Pity too, because it leaves many peripheral questions unanswered. It has a very Matrix-esque ending that makes you go, "huh?" However, the base mystery is very-well done about an American architect who is lured to England and finds out he has the dubious "gift" of speaking to the dead.

The atmosphere is very spooky with plenty of jump-out-of-your-skin moments. There are also a couple of funny moments, but most of it moves along at a fairly quick pace as Michael Lewis must race to stop a serial killer before he strikes again. There's also the disconnect for Michael of not knowing if he's talking to a ghost or a live human. It leaves you guessing to the end as to the killer's identity.

It's too bad that this never went any further. It's obvious the writers had more planned than just a weekly series about an amateur detective who speaks to ghosts. March 27, 2006

The Sight

I first saw this movie as a TV program that was interrupted by severe weather, so I lost much of the story line. After watching the DVD version without interruptions I found it very entertaining and well done. The casting was really good with the character of Alice Cooper stealing much of the show for me, as children so often do. For those who enjoy this genre, i.e. supernatural vision drama, this movie works well. Like much of today's Hollywood production, the chase scenes at the conclusion were somewhat overdone but did not greatly detract from the story. Being in England set a tone or mood in the movie that could only be achieved there. Not a great movie, but really good entertainment - a movie that can be enjoyed by repeated viewings. October 6, 2005

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