Reel News

by Esmerelda Quackenbush

"Eye of the Beholder" is a startling journey into obsession, the story of an intelligence agent so taken with a beautiful killer he cannot bear to apprehend her. Set in the surreal world of a high-tech voyeur, the tale follows him across the country as he embarks on a desperate quest for this enigmatic femme fatale.

Sounds pretty intriguing, huh. Well of course it does. It came from the filmmakers. Well, the best thing I can say about this movie is the makeup artist put the wigs on Ashley Judd very nicely. This movie stars Ewan McGregor (Obi Wan in the Phantom Menace)as the "Eye," a British Intelligence agent. He is given the assignment by his link, played by k. d. lang, to check up on an official's son. While doing this, he gets a look at Joanna, the mysterious woman he first sees in a museum. Thrown into this "mission" you catch glimpses of the daughter of the Eye, whose mother took her away when she was very small. She is a fabrication created in the mind of the Eye. Still, it seems silly as the two sit in a car as he spys. "Is this the man we are watchin', Daddy?"

As he continues to observe, he gets a ringside seat as she violently stabs a young man. You are never told if this man was the official's son he was supposed to be watching. When the Eye leaps from his hiding place as he sees the murder, you assume he is going to rescue the victim. Not so; he is only going to claim the camera equipment left on the young man's balcony.

He becomes obsessed with this woman. Following her all over the country as she flips identities and murders randomly. When he checks in with his contact, it is only to leech information about the woman. He traces her history, and connects with Joanna's old psychiatrist/probation officer, who says she taught Joanna the joys of changing identities through wigs. The psychiatrist is played by Genvieve Bujold, a powerful actress, whose riveting performance in Dead Ringers with Jeremy Irons made her one of my favorites.

The story line becomes more implausible by the frame. His daughter appearing ghostlike repeatedly (HEY IDIOT, SHE ISN'T DEAD!) and conversing with "daddy." Although the Eye sees murder after murder, he never divulges the nature of this woman. When she appears to have finally come to grips with whatever demons force her into this behavior, the Eye steps in and her only chance of happiness evaporates. And the killing begins again.

Hard to follow this review? The movie was harder still. Scenes and interaction with people from Joanna's past and of the "Eye's" imaginary daughter cloud whatever elements might have made this a film of obsession. The filmmakers throw in too many things that point someplace and go nowhere. After a few dozen of these side trips you are forced to discard them as they occur order to try to follow the main story line.

The Eye believes himself in love with her, her guardian...protecting her from capture. And in one instance, he protected her from becoming a victim herself. Joanna hooks up with a handsome wealthy ne'er do well played effectively by Jason Priestly. No sign of the kind and Midwest homegrown ethical Brandon Walsh from Beverly Hills 90210. Bleached blonde and roguish, he looks like the next notch on Joanna's wigstand. The tables are turned when he changes the plan and batters her bloody before loading her up with some kind of drug. The Eye leaps in to save the day.

The movie seems to try to get you to sympathize with first the Eye and then Joanna. It fails at both. Her teary childhood Christmas story of desertion by her father is too late to make you care. Her murmured "Merry Christmas, Daddy" after each killing sounds ridiculous. The Eye losing his daughter when his wife left him seems reasonable; he is too obsessed with his job to notice the real world.

When the end of the movie comes, interestingly enough at the End Of the World Café, you feel only relief that you aren't forced to watch any more. The only character with any depth or acting skill was a surprise. k. d. lang was excellent as the intelligence contact, proof that sometimes singers can act. She was believable and gave an honest performance. They should have built a story around her character.

If I was forced to only say three words about this movie, they would be SAVE YOUR MONEY. This is even worse than the Showtime Late Night movies.