Eye of the Beholder (1999)
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9% of critics liked it
(86 reviews) -
33% of users liked it
(10,301 ratings)
Part high-tech spy thriller and part psychological study, Eye of the Beholder was Ewan McGregor's first feature film following his mainstream breakthrough performance in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. The Eye (Ewan McGregor) is an agent of the British Secret Service, equipped with the… More Part high-tech spy thriller and part psychological study, Eye of the Beholder was Ewan McGregor's first feature film following his mainstream breakthrough performance in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. The Eye (Ewan McGregor) is an agent of the British Secret Service, equipped with the latest in high-tech crime fighting gadgetry and assisted by his indefatigable collegue, Hilary (k.d. lang). The Eye's latest assignment is a surveillance project; the son of a well-known politician has been spending a great deal of money on someone, and they would like to know who and why. A little sleuthing reveals that the mysterious person taking the cash is a woman named Joanna (Ashley Judd), but the trail gets much stickier when the Eye witnesses Joanna pulling a knife and killing the politician's son. Normally, he'd take the shortcut to putting her behind bars, but some time ago he lost contact with his daughter when his wife left him; Joanna reminds the Eye of his daughter, and he's too fascinated with her to bring her to justice. The Eye now follows Joanna obsessively, and discovers that she's also involved with a blind man (Patrick Bergin) and has a history of emotional instability from being abandoned by her father at a young age. Eye of the Beholder was directed by Stephan Elliott, best known for the comedy The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Directed By
- Stephan Elliott, Stephen Elliott
- Written By
- Stephan Elliott
- Genres
- Drama, Romance, Mystery & Suspense
- In Theaters
- Jan 28, 2000 Wide
- Studio
- Desintation Film Dist. Corp.
Critic 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.
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, Time Out
The result is compellingly bonkers.
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Jeff Millar, Houston Chronicle
Remove the directorial flash and filigree, and its narrative would be easier to track.
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Rick Groen, Globe and Mail
It's late January, winter is entrenched, and in the lull between the bounty of Christmas and the renewal of spring, the big screen can sometimes seem barren -- a movable famine.
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Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
In trying to both inflame and indict our morbid curiosity, Elliott fails to make the needed connection between the audience and a peeper who has lost his moral balance.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Ewan McGregor
as the Eye
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Ashley Judd
as Joanna Eris
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Patrick Bergin
as Alex Leonard
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k.d. lang
as Hilary
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Jason Priestley
as Gary
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Geneviève Bujold
as Dr. Brault
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Una Kay
as Hilary's Mother
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David Nerman
as Mike
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Michel Perron
as Fat Businessman
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Michelle Sweeney
as Salvo
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Vlasta Vrana
as Hugo
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Russell Yuen
as Federal Agent 1
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Louis Negin
as Bartender
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Amanda Davis
as Gir
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Gayle Garfinkle
as Head Watress
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Steven McCarthy
as Paul
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Vera Miller
as Tea Trolley Lady
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Nadia Rona
as Tea Trolley Lady
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Sam Stone
as Alaskan Federal Agent 2
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Charles Powell
as Prisoner
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Al Clark
as Redneck
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Janine Theriault
as Nathy
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Donovan Reiter
as Local 1
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Howard Bilerman
as Waiter
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Don Jordan
as Toohey
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Leonard Farlinger
as Young Joanna's Father
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Tom Karle
as Fat Man
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Al Vandecruys
as Alaskan Federal Agent 1
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Anne-Marie Brown
as Lucy
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Kaitlin Brown
as Lucy
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Maria Revelins
as Ms. Keenan
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Lisa Forget
as Nurse
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Stephane Levasseur
as Federal Agent 2
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Mauro Venditelli
as Boss
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Josa Maule
as Receptionist
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Carole Collin
as Secretary
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Stephanie Sbrega
as Sandra
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Philip Le Maistre
as gas attendant
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Maria Bircher
as Waitress
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Cara Reynolds
as Young Joanna
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Jason Baerg
as Gay Man
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Carl Crevier
as Chauffeur
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Dr. Erwin Goldberg
as Doctor
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Garth Gilker
as Airport Guard
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James Hieminga
as Wade
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Bob Brewster
as Cop
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Merlee Shapiro
as Reva Desk Clark
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Erik Johnson
as Local 2
