cryptoflovecraft — 1 year ago(February 24, 2025 06:21 PM)

This could've been a great film but for some reason it can't rise above being predictable and mediocre at almost every turn. It has a stellar cast: Sally Field, Ed Harris, Kiefer Sutherland, Beverly D'Angelo, Joe Mantegna, etc., and a workable premise. Field, to her credit, gives a passionate enough performance as a mother grieving the loss of her teenage daughter at the hands of a lowlife rapist/murderer (Sutherland) and Sutherland is great in villain roles and plays the scumbag well enough, maybe even overdoing it a bit at times - after all, what kind of guy pours hot coffee on a stray dog just for the hell of it!? It's bad enough that he rapes and murders a teenager earlier in the film but
that poor mutt
!
The theme of Eye for an Eye isn't much different than Death Wish: Bad guys often get away with murder because of an inept justice system that leaves the average law-abiding citizen with few options. Most people choose acquiescence when killers walk free due to legal technicalities while a few choose to act. You can guess which option Field chooses by the end of the film.
All in all, it's nothing more than a watchable timewaster.
5/10