The Eye of the Beholder (D- or .5/4 stars)
An English secret service agent becomes obsessed with a beautiful woman in 'Eye of the Beholder', directed by Stephan Elliott. When he views her killing an estranged sexual partner, he becomes her sort of guardian angel ... protecting her from being caught! But as she keeps killing men, can he keep his own head above water? Who. Cares? This is one of the most preposterous, pretentious, weird, and flat out BORING movies I've seen in a very, very long time.
Agent "Eye" (Ewan McGregor) has been pretty down since his wife left him; with daughter in tow. Depressed, surrounded by his surveillance equipment, his only serious contact comes in the form of Hilary (K.D. Lang, awful); a woman who gives him his assignments via videophone. His new assignment: spying on a bad guy (duh). However, things go from bad to worse when 'Eye' witnesses his target being murdered by a female serial killer, Joanna (Ashley Judd). How's that for a complete 180? The rest of the film involves 'Eye' following Joanna around. And in bizarre fashion, he finds himself attracted to her (whether for her looks, her ballsiness, or both); finding himself both covering up for her and even helping her avoid the police! Her 'spree' takes them all the way from New York to Chicago, San Francisco, & up to Alaska. Joanna doesn't realize that she's being followed. But with each new city & each new murder, she starts to suspect it.
I don't even know where to begin. The story, the actual story, is atrocious. Who thinks this up? Who writes it? Who decides to direct a movie around it? It's odd, unengaging, not to mention riddled with holes & logistical fallacies. There's no real reason for 'Eye' to start following Joanna. Yes, he's obsessed. But why? And why LET her kill people? The plot hints at a link btwn. his missing daughter & Joanna ... completely mishandled (he sees things, but we think they're actually real). Clearly, the movie wants to say something about voyeurism/obsession, but the execution is murky.
That particular theme placed in this poorly paced 'wannabe' thriller enrages me. It's boring & aggravating. No moviegoer should have to sit through this schlock. Nothing about it is scary, nothing gave me an incentive to "tune-in"; my mind wandered throughout. The characters are paper-thin. Ashley Judd. Where do I begin with Ashley Judd? She just seems to be in the worst movies, as of late. I don't know who is misguiding her, but she needs a new agent, pronto. From now on, when I see her name attached to a project, I'm running the other way. Ewan McGregor? Lame performance. There is nothing appealing about this movie, the characters, or the performances of those characters. And the conclusion of the film only cemented my disgust. 'Exasperated' is how I feel.
Agent "Eye" (Ewan McGregor) has been pretty down since his wife left him; with daughter in tow. Depressed, surrounded by his surveillance equipment, his only serious contact comes in the form of Hilary (K.D. Lang, awful); a woman who gives him his assignments via videophone. His new assignment: spying on a bad guy (duh). However, things go from bad to worse when 'Eye' witnesses his target being murdered by a female serial killer, Joanna (Ashley Judd). How's that for a complete 180? The rest of the film involves 'Eye' following Joanna around. And in bizarre fashion, he finds himself attracted to her (whether for her looks, her ballsiness, or both); finding himself both covering up for her and even helping her avoid the police! Her 'spree' takes them all the way from New York to Chicago, San Francisco, & up to Alaska. Joanna doesn't realize that she's being followed. But with each new city & each new murder, she starts to suspect it.
I don't even know where to begin. The story, the actual story, is atrocious. Who thinks this up? Who writes it? Who decides to direct a movie around it? It's odd, unengaging, not to mention riddled with holes & logistical fallacies. There's no real reason for 'Eye' to start following Joanna. Yes, he's obsessed. But why? And why LET her kill people? The plot hints at a link btwn. his missing daughter & Joanna ... completely mishandled (he sees things, but we think they're actually real). Clearly, the movie wants to say something about voyeurism/obsession, but the execution is murky.
That particular theme placed in this poorly paced 'wannabe' thriller enrages me. It's boring & aggravating. No moviegoer should have to sit through this schlock. Nothing about it is scary, nothing gave me an incentive to "tune-in"; my mind wandered throughout. The characters are paper-thin. Ashley Judd. Where do I begin with Ashley Judd? She just seems to be in the worst movies, as of late. I don't know who is misguiding her, but she needs a new agent, pronto. From now on, when I see her name attached to a project, I'm running the other way. Ewan McGregor? Lame performance. There is nothing appealing about this movie, the characters, or the performances of those characters. And the conclusion of the film only cemented my disgust. 'Exasperated' is how I feel.