aka JIAN GUI
Movie Review by Neils Hesse
Starring: Lee Sin-Je (aka Angelica Lee), Lawrence Chou, Chutcha Rujinanon, Candy Lo
Directors: Oxide Pang Chun, Danny Pang
Mun (Lee Sin-Jie aka Angelica Lee) became blind at the age of two and eighteen years later after a risky cornea transplant, she is able to see again. She regains her vision but is spoken to by the ghosts of dead people whom only she can see and hear. When she sees a photo of herself she is shocked to discover that the person in the photo and the reflection in the mirror are of two different people. All this leads her to a small village where the girl whose eyes were used for the transplant lived before she committed suicide. These strange things all finally end with some very shocking results that Mun could never have expected.
In this demanding role Lee Sin-Jie excellently portrays the emotions Mun feels going from someone who is blind but is then finally given the chance to see, reflecting the sorrow and happiness perfectly. This is in contrast to the supporting cast who, though they give average performances, would have benefited from more character development and so enhanced their roles.
THE EYE is exceptionally well directed by the twin Pang brothers, Oxide and Danny, who combined their talents on their first feature together with BANGKOK DANGEROUS (2000). They successfully push the story on with a good mix of chills, sorrow and happiness. The storyline could be described as a mix between THE MOTHMAN PROPHECIES and THE SIXTH SENSE but even then it still stands as a unique project on it’s own.
