The Film: eye see you (2002)
The Principals: Sylvester Stallone, Charles S. Dutton, Kris Kristofferson, Tom Berenger, Robert Patrick, Courtney B. Vance, Jeffrey Wright, Polly Walker
The Premise: FBI agent Jake Malloy (Stallone) is having problems catching a serial killer who seems to take an interest in Jake. After losing a loved one at the hands of the killer, Jake takes to drinking heavily. His friend, Detective Hendricks (Dutton), persuades Jake to attend a detox clinic in a remote part of Wyoming that specializes in addiction recovery for law enforcement personnel. As Jake begins to settle in for treatment the other patients are targeted by the serial killer.
Is it Good?: I actually found eye see you (movie title was later changed to D-Tox which is just as bad as the original title) to be one of Stallone’s finest performances of his career. I enjoyed how he gradually took his character from one of the boys at the bar with fellow officers, in love with a woman he just proposed to, to becoming a brooding alcoholic who has nothing to live for, then turns full circle and becomes a survivor. If anyone tells you that Stallone is not a versatile actor just have them watch this movie.
As I mentioned earlier today on Facebook, I enjoyed eye see you more than it actually deserved. The problem with this film is not Stallone nor is it the other actors, it’s all about the pacing when Jake gets to the re-hab facility that quickly had me losing interest in going any further. I get the fact that at the facility is where we are going to be introduced to the remaining main characters, but this is where I had the problem. Their introductions were boring and it’s as though each character had to be shown in the most extreme caricature. An example would be Robert Patrick’s character Noah who turns up the asshole in the room stint to the point that it was laughable. I get it, these patients have issues and there was no need for the over the top attitudes.
Once that part of the movie is over eye see you settles down, we get into a solid psychological thriller which is where the fun begins (in a sinister way of course). Another gripe is Polly Walker (Jenny) who is there to help the director of the facility. She was not needed and I understand they wanted to include a beautiful woman in the mix to offer up some eye candy for Stallone to work with but her performance is mundane and not necessary to further the plot.
eye see you is an intriguing thriller and I’ll say it again, this is one of Stallone’s finest performances.
Random Anecdotes: From CHUD/Facebook buddy Greg Clark “Until Rocky Balboa saved his career, this was the last Stallone movie to see theatrical release (after sitting on the shelf for three years).”
Cinematic Soulmates: Cliffhanger, Nighthawks, Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot
