John Schlesinger directed Eye for Eye, a psychological thriller, starring Sally Field, Kiefer Sutherland, Ed Harris, Beverly D’Angelo and Joe Mantegna.
Grade: C- (* out of *****)
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The story was adapted from Erika Holzer’s novel of the same name.
Karen (Sally Field) and Mack McCann (Ed Harris) are happily married with two daughters, seventeen-year-old Julie (from Karen’s previous marriage) and six-year-old Megan.
One afternoon while Karen is out shopping, Julie is violently raped and murdered, which Karen overhears on the phone. Detective Joe Denillo assures the McCanns there is enough DNA evidence to find and convict the killer, and encourages Karen to seek counselling.
At a support group, Karen meets people in similar circumstances, including Albert and Regina Gratz, and Sidney Hughes. During the meeting, Karen overhears Albert talking to Sidney about something which alarms Regina. Meanwhile, the DNA tests reveal Julie’s killer to be Robert Doob (Kiefer Sutherland), a delivery driver with a criminal record. However at the trial, Doob is released as the defence did not receive a sample of the evidence, and the judge dismisses the case. Karen and Mack are horrified as Doob walks free.
Karen sets a trap to lure Doob into her home while Mack and Megan are out of town, so that she can say killing him was self-defense.
Despite Doob’s attempts to fight back, Karen shoots Doob dead after a struggle. Denillo arrives on the scene and tells Karen that he knows the truth, to which she replies, “Prove it.”
In the improbable ending, he decides to tell his colleague that it was a “clear case of self-defense.” When Mack arrives, he sits beside her, holding her hand, also knowing what she has done.
Overwrought, narrowly written, and crudely helmed, Eye for an Eye received negative reviews from critics and failed at the box-office.
Failing to address the ethical and moral issues at its center, the thriller came across as a nasty, manipulative exercise at shallow suspense (but no more).
Eye for an Eye is considered to be one of Schlesinger most mean-spirited, exploitational and empty pictures.
Cast
Sally Field as Karen Julie McCann
Kiefer Sutherland as Robert Doob
Ed Harris as Mack McCann
Joe Mantegna as Det. Joe Denillo
Beverly D’Angelo as Dolly Green
Olivia Burnette as Julie McCann
Alexandra Kyle as Megan McCann
Darrell Larson as Peter Green
Charlayne Woodard as Angel Kosinsky
Philip Baker Hall as Sidney Hughes
William Mesnik as Albert Gratz
Rondi Reed as Regina Gratz
Keith David as Martin
Donal Logue as Tony
Grand L. Bush as Tyrone
Armin Shimerman as Judge Arthur Younger
Nicholas Cascone as District Attorney Howard Bolinger
Ross Bagley as Sean Kosinsky
Cynthia Rothrock as Tina
Stella Garcia as Maria
Credits:
Directed by John Schlesinger
Screenplay by Amanda Silver, Rick Jaffa, Based on Eye for an Eye by Erika Holzer
Produced by Michael I. Levy, Michael Polaire, Kathryn Knowlton (associate)
Cinematography Amir M. Mokri
Edited by Peter Honess
Music by James Newton Howard
Distributed by Paramount Pictures
Release date: January 12, 1996
Running time: 101 minutes
Budget $20 million
Box office $26.9 million
