The Eye (2002) Gin Gwai

Movie Rating R Contains: Strong Language Violence Mature Situations

Director: Danny and Oxide Pang Movie Genre: Horror, Ghost Story Country: Hong Kong The Eye Score Card The following scores are based on a 0.0 to 10.0 rating scale Hover your mouse pointer over the name of each scoring category below for a description Direction: 7.0 Writing: 6.8 Acting: 7.0 Cinematography: 8.0 Sound and Score: 6.8 Functionality: 7.0 Presentation: 8.0 Genre Comparison: 7.5 General Comparison: 6.5 Overall: 7.2 Reviewed 2006-01-26 00:02:29

The Eye is a Hong Kong horror movie directed by Oxide and Danny Pang. Angelica Lee plays Mun, a blind woman who receives a corneal transplant that restores most of her sight. As she recovers and her vision slowly returns, Mun begins to have strange and otherworldly visions. The majority of these are of dark shadowy figures lurking in the background. Mun then realizes she has to figure out where her new eyes came from and why they are causing her to see such things.

As a movie about a blind woman, the visuals are more important than in other movies. Mun's blurred vision, as she slowly regains her sight, gives the impression that her once quiet, peaceful existence is being invaded by the bright foreign presence which is the seeing world. Also, since she has not been able to see in years, she is not sure whether or not the strange, shadowy figures belong there. The cinematographer, Decha Srimantra, used sharp contrasts between dark and light along with varying degrees of focus to reinforce the invasive nature of Mun's operation.

Mun's role as a violinist in an orchestra for the blind focuses a great deal of attention on the score. The violin music is sharp and startling. The unnerving score is essential in the scene in which Mun's fears and frustrations temporarily get the best of her. This score along with the creepy sound effects add an element of eeriness to the film.

The Eye is one of the few movies to scare and startle me on the first viewing. The horror elements are reminiscent of M. Night Shyamalan's The Sixth Sense and Mark Pellington's The Mothman Prophecies. There are a few good scares in the film, but the majority of the movie's success is due to the unsettling atmosphere maintained throughout the picture. The Eye is not only an excellent example of Hong Kong movie creepiness; it is also an excellent starting point for anyone interested in Asian Horror.