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Eyes of a Stranger
(1981)
by Tuna
As
the film opens, a nature photographer finds a topless woman's corpse
in the water in a mangrove swamp. News reporter Lauren Tewes seems
more upset when reporting the death than you would expect. We soon
learn why. Her baby sister was once abducted, beaten and molested, and
she blamed herself. The sister, Jennifer Jason Leigh, has grown into
a lovely young woman who lives with her, but is blind, deaf and dumb
as a result of her trauma. Lauren has sworn that nothing will ever
happen to her again.
As the killing spree continues, Lauren becomes convinced that the
killer is a man who lives in the same high-rise complex she does,
but in a tower opposite her. She takes it upon herself to
investigate, breaking into his apartment, gathering evidence, and
then harassing him by phone the same way he has harassed his
victims. Her relationship with her sister has kept her and her
boyfriend from moving in together, and he also proves
reluctant to help her prove her neighbor is guilty. You are probably
way ahead of me, and realize that the big finale will involve the
guy, Lauren Tewes and Jennifer Jason Leigh.
The film is predictable, but not without some appeal. It
offers the first screen nudity from Jennifer Jason Leigh (her only
exposure before Fast Times), and gives us a chance to see Julie from
The Love Boat in a meatier role.
Our Grade:
If you are not familiar with our grading system, you need to
read the
explanation, because the grading is not linear. For example, by
our definition, a
C is solid and a C+ is a VERY good movie. There are very few Bs
and As. Based on our descriptive system, this film is a:
C-
Eyes of a Stranger meets all genre
requirement for strangler thrillers and offers some guilty
pleasures.
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NUDITY REPORT
- Jennifer Jason Leigh, in her first credited role, shows her right breast
in two scenes.
- Gwen Lewis, as an early victim, shows breasts
- Stella Rivera and two unknowns show breasts.
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