![[box cover]](../../reviewimgs/e/eyeofthebeholder.jpg)
Eye of the Beholder
Eye of the Beholder, starring Ewan McGregor and Ashley Judd, is one stinker of a movie. The film came out not too long after the critically panned but commercially successful Double Jeopardy, also starring Judd, but unlike that film, Eye of the Beholder didn't click with audiences and was quickly forgotten. The film tells the story of Eye (McGregor), a withdrawn British Intelligence agent working in the States, who goes on assignment to spy on a suspected blackmailer and murderer by the name of Joanna Eris (Judd). Soon after he becomes obsessed with Eris and follows her across the country, spying on her as she seduces and kills several men along the way. The Eye's fascination leads to intervention and the film climaxes with the murderer and the spy facing off for the first and possibly last time. Director Stephan Elliott's (Priscilla, Queen of the Desert) "labor of love," as he puts it in his audio commentary, is a muddled mess with unsympathetic characters and a convoluted story. The holes in the plot are plentiful and make Eye of the Beholder an exercise in the absurd. Columbia TriStar's DVD release includes anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1) or a full-frame versions, and the picture quality is average, with no noticeable grain or pixelation. The remastered soundtrack comes in both Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby 2.0 Surround. Features include an insightful commentary by director Elliott, wherein he discusses the process of bringing the film to the screen and the problems encountered on the set — it's a shame the movie isn't as interesting as this track. Trailers for Eye of the Beholder and The Pillow Book (also starring McGregor), production notes, and talent files. Keep-case.
—Kerry Fall
