Eye See You
2/4
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Charles S. Dutton, Polly Walker, Robert Patrick, Christopher Fulford, Kris Kristofferson, Tom Berenger, Stephen Lang, Angela Alvarado, Robert Prosky, Sean Patrick Flannery, Courtney B. Vance
Rated R for Strong Violence/Gore and Language
Why would Universal Studios sell the rights to $55 million dollar film and then disown it? Because it's jaw-droppingly awful?
Hardly. It's just relentlessly mediocre.
"Eye See You," which also goes by the name "D-Tox," was filmed in 1999, but the release was delayed for several years until the studio grew tired of the film and sold the rights to DEJ Productions, a small independent film company. But the blandness of the final result made it clear that it would not be a hit (and would likely be a complete bomb). Still, it's hardly deserving of the treatment that Universal gave it. After all, there are many other big budget productions from Universal that are much, much worse ("The Purge" and "Identity Thief" come to mind).
FBI Agent Jake Malloy (Stallone) is tracking down a serial killer whose victims are all cops ("Nine dead cops inside of six months!" one of his friends says). Malloy is doing the best that he can to catch the killer, but in his words, the guy is a "different breed." No style, no trademarks, and worst, no evidence. But the case turns personal as the next victim is his girlfriend, Mary (Dina Meyer in what amounts to a cameo). Now choosing to live his life finding the bottom of a bottle, Hendricks (Dutton), his superior and friend, has found him a rehab facility that specializes in treating cops. But Malloy soon realizes that trouble has found him again.
Despite having a stellar cast, there isn't much acting to be found. The script doesn't give them the latitude and director Jim Gillespie moves the film so fast that there's no time. Stallone is effective as the guilt-ridden cop, but there's not much that he can do. Polly Walker is also good (that should be no surprise). Ditto for Robert Patrick, who plays Noah, the resident asshole. No one else has enough time to make an impression.
While some of the problems have to do with the script (which is based on the book "Jitter Joint" by Howard Swindle), the majority have to do with the direction. Putting it simply, Jim Gillespie (who did a very good job directing "I Know What You Did Last Summer") makes just about every mistake possible. The film lacks atmosphere. The characters are too thin to be considered one-dimensional (apart from Malloy and Jenny, I didn't know anyone's name, which makes the story confusing), and make the usual stupid mistakes. The pacing is erratic. The editing is frequently awkward. Gillespie and Oscar-winning cinematographer Dean Semler fail to make use of the location (a snowstorm outside a military installation-turned-mental health facility-turned-rehab center...that looks creepy as hell). There are too many inserts of Mary laughing that fail to provoke an emotional connection to Jake, even after we get the point.
All that said, the film is watchable. It's moderately engaging, and I was curious to find out who the killer was. But it could have been so much more (I wonder what the film would have been like if Ron Howard, the original director had made it). But in the end, it's just another generic slasher movie (with levels of violence and gore to the point where the term anemic comes to mind) dressed up with name actors.
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Charles S. Dutton, Polly Walker, Robert Patrick, Christopher Fulford, Kris Kristofferson, Tom Berenger, Stephen Lang, Angela Alvarado, Robert Prosky, Sean Patrick Flannery, Courtney B. Vance
Rated R for Strong Violence/Gore and Language
Why would Universal Studios sell the rights to $55 million dollar film and then disown it? Because it's jaw-droppingly awful?
Hardly. It's just relentlessly mediocre.
"Eye See You," which also goes by the name "D-Tox," was filmed in 1999, but the release was delayed for several years until the studio grew tired of the film and sold the rights to DEJ Productions, a small independent film company. But the blandness of the final result made it clear that it would not be a hit (and would likely be a complete bomb). Still, it's hardly deserving of the treatment that Universal gave it. After all, there are many other big budget productions from Universal that are much, much worse ("The Purge" and "Identity Thief" come to mind).
FBI Agent Jake Malloy (Stallone) is tracking down a serial killer whose victims are all cops ("Nine dead cops inside of six months!" one of his friends says). Malloy is doing the best that he can to catch the killer, but in his words, the guy is a "different breed." No style, no trademarks, and worst, no evidence. But the case turns personal as the next victim is his girlfriend, Mary (Dina Meyer in what amounts to a cameo). Now choosing to live his life finding the bottom of a bottle, Hendricks (Dutton), his superior and friend, has found him a rehab facility that specializes in treating cops. But Malloy soon realizes that trouble has found him again.
Despite having a stellar cast, there isn't much acting to be found. The script doesn't give them the latitude and director Jim Gillespie moves the film so fast that there's no time. Stallone is effective as the guilt-ridden cop, but there's not much that he can do. Polly Walker is also good (that should be no surprise). Ditto for Robert Patrick, who plays Noah, the resident asshole. No one else has enough time to make an impression.
While some of the problems have to do with the script (which is based on the book "Jitter Joint" by Howard Swindle), the majority have to do with the direction. Putting it simply, Jim Gillespie (who did a very good job directing "I Know What You Did Last Summer") makes just about every mistake possible. The film lacks atmosphere. The characters are too thin to be considered one-dimensional (apart from Malloy and Jenny, I didn't know anyone's name, which makes the story confusing), and make the usual stupid mistakes. The pacing is erratic. The editing is frequently awkward. Gillespie and Oscar-winning cinematographer Dean Semler fail to make use of the location (a snowstorm outside a military installation-turned-mental health facility-turned-rehab center...that looks creepy as hell). There are too many inserts of Mary laughing that fail to provoke an emotional connection to Jake, even after we get the point.
All that said, the film is watchable. It's moderately engaging, and I was curious to find out who the killer was. But it could have been so much more (I wonder what the film would have been like if Ron Howard, the original director had made it). But in the end, it's just another generic slasher movie (with levels of violence and gore to the point where the term anemic comes to mind) dressed up with name actors.
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