Cast: Ewan McGregor, Ashley Judd, Patrick Bergin, k.d. lang, Jason Priestley, Geneviève Bujold
Director: Stephan Elliott
Producers: Nicolas Clermont, Tony Smith
Screenplay: Stephan Elliott, based on the novel by Marc Behm
Cinematography: Guy Dufaux
Music: Marius De Vries
U.S. Distributor: Destination Films
The subject of voyeurism isn't exactly new to the movies. In fact, some of the best motion pictures of all time, including Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window and Krzysztof Kieslowski's searing A Short Film About Love, have played in that arena, integrating the concept of watching into complex and multi-layered plots. Eye of the Beholder, like 1993's Sliver, illustrates an obvious fact: done badly, a film about voyeurism can be just as pointless and aggravating as any other careless thriller. This movie isn't bad because it's about voyeurism, but because of the way in which it employs its central plot device.
Eye of the Beholder's protagonist is a British secret service agent with the code name of "Eye" (Ewan McGregor). He doesn't have a numerical designation, but, if he did, it wouldn't be 007. Since his wife walked out on him, taking their young daughter with her, Eye has turned into a recluse. He sits in a small, windowless room in the British embassy, surrounded by all sorts of surveillance equipment and electronic gadgetry. His only human contact is Hilary (k.d. lang), who gives him assignments via videophone. Eye's latest case takes him into the real world to spy on a man suspected of some sort of nefarious dealings. However, instead of observing a violation of the Official Secrets Act, Eye becomes a witness to the murder of his surveillance target. The perpetrator turns out to be that rarest of breeds: a female serial killer (although they're more popular in books and movies than in real life). Eye, instantly smitten by this woman, named Joanna Eris (Ashley Judd), begins to follow her around, watching her, covering up for her, and, eventually, actively helping her to avoid the police. Together yet separate, they zig-zag back and forth across the country, traveling from New York to Alaska, with stops in San Francisco, Chicago, and elsewhere. But, the more involved Eye becomes in Joanna's life, the more aware she is that someone is shadowing her footsteps.
Eye of the Beholder, directed by Australian filmmaker Stephan Elliott (who is best known for helming The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert), has a laundry list of problems, the biggest of which is the storyline, which is riddled with credibility holes and logical gaps. Granted, obsession doesn't make sense, but Eye's decision to follow Joanna is, to say the least, poorly motivated. The movie tries to make some sort of connection between her and the daughter his wife took away from him, but the link between these two is murky. In fact, the whole absent daughter subplot is woefully handled. Eye has imaginary conversations with the little girl, but it takes a while for us to figure out that she's not actually there. And, once Eye starts following Joanna, his daughter vanishes. Then there's the obvious question of how long the British government would allow a rogue agent to wander unmolested around North America.
Elliott, who brought Priscilla to life with energy and pizzazz, goes in the opposite direction here. Although it's obvious that he's trying to attain the realm of film noir, he misses the mark, veering light years from Hitchcock's favorite playground despite countless nods to the master (including a bell tower scene that recalls Vertigo). The tone is stillborn and static when it should be ominous and engrossing. The characters fail to connect with the audience. This is a cold, distant, and off-putting motion picture that generates little in the way of tension or suspense. The protagonists are sketchily developed at best (the missing daughter element is supposed to give us a better sense of who Eye is, but doesn't). Ewan McGregor approaches the part with what seems to be bland resignation; Eye has all the charm and personality of an automaton. Those who thought McGregor was flat in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, will be astonished at how much worse he is here. Meanwhile, Ashley Judd, appearing in her second consecutive lame thriller (the other: Double Jeopardy), is better but not great. This is easily the least appealing and most insignificant performance of her career.
Added to the film's various other fissures and flaws is a terrible ending. While no conclusion, regardless of how brilliantly conceived and executed, could have redeemed this motion picture, Eye of the Beholder abandons an irony-laced finale (which is suggested, then discarded) for something that is both silly and dissatisfying. Ambiguity works for some films; this is not one of them. Eye of the Beholder's last, sour note is going to leave many viewers angry and exasperated. Of course, for those paying attention to the movie all along (instead of munching on popcorn and turning off half their brain), that point would have been reached well before the final credits make their appearance.
© 2000 James Berardinelli