The Sixth Sense meets Final Destination for creepy escapade in Hong KongBY EMIL TIEDEMANN
The Eye is a supernatural thriller that has its moments of definite terror, yet others that resemble something out of a sentimental epic, conjoined for a gripping story set to film. If you're able to overlook the movie's atmosphere that fee
ls like we've delved backwards in time, you'll discover that even the most unlikely of foreign nations (in this case, Hong Kong and Singapore) has the ability to intrigue us enough to disregard subtitles, a low budget and an unacquainted cast.
The Pang Brothers'
The Eye commences at a hospital in Hong Kong, where 20-year-old classical violinist Mun (
Lee Sin-je) is about to undergo a risky cornea transplant, which will allow her to see for the first time since she was two. Shortly after surgery Mun has blurred visions that she can't seem to decipher, visions that ascend into frightening apparitions and deathly prophecies.

Haunted by these ghostly images and eerie hallucinations, Mun seeks the help of her psychologist Dr. Wah (
Lawrence Chou), who finds himself smitten with his charming patient. The two set out to disentangle Mun's mysterious abnormality, finding themselves in Thailand to learn more about Ling, the donor of Mun's plagued corneas. They discover that Ling had similar visions herself, ones that had her cast as a witch, and that compelled her to take her own life. Once Mun is able to rectify Lin's unresolved issues it seems that all is okay again, until Mun now discovers her ability to forecast fatalities and catastrophes, such as the one that restores her blindness at the film's finale.
High-tech graphics aren't exactly
The Eye's big selling point, and some of the acting is delinquent, but as a whole the film was better than I could've imagined, which highlights my own ignorance to Asian cinema. The 98-minute film, which found its way into just over a dozen North American theatres in the summer of '03, was remade by American filmmakers last year (starring
Jessica Alba), but critics suggested we avoid it altogether. In my humble opinion, stick with the original and settle in for a competent thriller that doesn't need Hollywood to render it worthy for our accustomed eyes.
3/5 stars
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