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Eye of the Beholder

Play trailer Poster for Eye of the Beholder R Released Jan 28, 1999 1h 47m Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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9% Tomatometer 88 Reviews 32% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
British spy Steve Wilson (Ewan McGregor), known as "The Eye" to his employers, is trailing Paul Hugo (Steven McCarthy) for an assignment when he witnesses Paul being murdered by his girlfriend, Joanna Eris (Ashley Judd). Haunted by the breakup of his marriage and by his absent daughter, Lucy (Ann-Marie Brown), Steve notices Joanna's resemblance to his child and decides to protect her. As Joanna wanders the United States, Steve follows and destroys evidence of her multiple killings.
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Eye of the Beholder

Eye of the Beholder

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Critics Consensus

Improbable and muddled.

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Critics Reviews

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Jonathan Rosenbaum Chicago Reader As misogynistic as anything I've seen in ages, it's tricked up with enough fancy cinematography (by Guy Dufaux) to guarantee it sub-Hitchcockian credentials of the sort that some reviewers eagerly hand out to Brian De Palma. Mar 6, 2007 Full Review Time Out The result is compellingly bonkers. Jan 26, 2006 Full Review Jeff Millar Houston Chronicle Remove the directorial flash and filigree, and its narrative would be easier to track. Jul 21, 2005 Full Review Tony Black Cultural Conversation Neo-noir & near enough a bore. Rated: 2/5 Feb 16, 2021 Full Review Gary Arnold Washington Times A pointless and trifling mystery fable. Rated: 0/4 Jan 24, 2018 Full Review Adam Lippe Examiner.com You're unlikely to see a scene as weird as the one where McGregor beats up Judd's blind fiance, as a way to warn him that she'll kill him. That seems counter-intuitive, but nothing in Eye of the Beholder reeks of anything near the notion of intuition. Aug 12, 2010 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Anna P The leads are wonderful actors doing their best with what they were given. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 11/03/24 Full Review Hurtin F Easily the finest piece of cinema to come out of the 90s. Jason Priestly as a bad boy is absolutely brilliant, not hammy at all, and completely believable. Ewan McGregor's best work since Train Spotting and not at all awkward or weird, and Ashley Judd was simply incredible.. Her best scene in the entire movie was when she got K'd the F out. I actually half wonder if he made contact in that punch, irl, and whether it was the first scene shot, it might then explain her exceedingly peculiar performance, and even more peculiar crying the entire film. KD Lang's staunch heterosexuality was on display and then some. It bordered on toxic masculinity, and whatever the next notch up on that totem pole is. Definitely a must see.. 5/5 would never watch it a second time. 10/5 I wish my eyes didn't sting so bad from the bleach I had to pour in them whilst watching this cinematic marvel. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/13/24 Full Review Royal T Maybe the worst movie made this century. Too many plot holes to mention. Terribly directed and spliced together. Ashley Judd was never a threat to win any acting awards, and this may be her at her worst. This movie would rank badly as an after-school special made in the 80's. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 06/07/23 Full Review Jelisije J A movie that had so many interesting ideas and concepts, but when you combine 6 different ideas into one movie you will ultimately get a bloated mess of a film. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Steve D Unlikable and just plain dumb. Nothing the cast can do with this mess. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 02/08/23 Full Review Audience Member Based on Marc Behm's novel and a remake of Claude Miller's 1983 French thriller Deadly Circuit, this Stephan Elliot-directed (The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert) was originally optioned by producer Philip Yordan (yes, I can get a Night Train to Terror mention in for every movie) for Charlton Heston, but it took decades to be made in America. Stephen Wilson (Ewan McGregor) is known as The Eye, a surveillance expert called in to track down the son of his wealthy boss. However, that man is killed by serial killer Joanna Eris (Ashley Judd) as Stephen watches. Years ago, his daughter disappeared and he sees her as the grown version of her, so he keeps trying to rescue her. Going rogue, Stephen keeps following Eris, even after she is due to be married to a rich blind man named Alexander Leonard (Patrick Bergin) and gives up killing men. So why does he shoot her tires out and cause his death? Why does he save her from Gary (Jason Priestley), who has beaten Eris into oblivion and is preparing to assault her? Why does he follow her all over the country? How muchy of what Stephen sees is even real? Does Hildary (k.d. lang) even exist? Is this a cyberpunk movie (yes, it has dystopian tech, British accents and a rock star in it)? And how about the scenes shot in Pittsburgh? What a mess. I kind of want to watch it a third time to see if I can make any more sense of it. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Eye of the Beholder

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Movie Info

Synopsis British spy Steve Wilson (Ewan McGregor), known as "The Eye" to his employers, is trailing Paul Hugo (Steven McCarthy) for an assignment when he witnesses Paul being murdered by his girlfriend, Joanna Eris (Ashley Judd). Haunted by the breakup of his marriage and by his absent daughter, Lucy (Ann-Marie Brown), Steve notices Joanna's resemblance to his child and decides to protect her. As Joanna wanders the United States, Steve follows and destroys evidence of her multiple killings.
Director
Stephan Elliott
Producer
Tony Smith, Nicolas Clermont, Tony Smith
Screenwriter
Marc Behm, Stephan Elliott
Distributor
Destination Films
Production Co
Hit & Run Productions, Eye of the Beholder Ltd., Village Roadshow Prod., Behaviour Worldwide, Ambridge Film Partnership, Filmline International
Rating
R (Sexuality|Language|Brief Drug Content|Strong Violence)
Genre
Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jan 28, 1999, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 16, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA)
$16.5M
Runtime
1h 47m
Sound Mix
Dolby Digital, DTS, Surround
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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