Eye of the Storm

A terrific movie -- the kind that grabs you by the throat and won't let go. The set-up is simple, and yet the story keeps twisting and turning and deepening... you never know where it's gonna take you next. The script is crisp and fresh, but it's the tight, imaginative direction that makes this movie stand out. Rent it, buy it, steal it -- but see it... A real find.

This movie is a great and exciting thriller! I watched it several times already and still get not bored of it. Everything is right in this one: the small but impressive cast, the remote location of the old wrecked motel. The story tells of 2 brothers (Craig Sheffer and Bradley Gregg), who run a motel. However, their guests never check out… When the couple Dennis Hopper and Lara Flynn Boyle stay at the motel, things start to become quite messy. The story is very thrilling and the performances of the actors are top. Craig Sheffer does a great job, as usual, but especially Bradley Gregg as the blind Steven is brilliant. If you like thrillers, then you absolutely must see this one! You will not be disappointed.

My review was written in June 1992 after watching the film on New Line video cassette.

New Line has a sleeper in this thriller, made in America by German producers. Direct-to-video release could also score in the pay-cable market

Interesting premise by director Yuri Zeltser and co-scripter Michael Stewart traces the fate of two young brothers living at a highway gas station/motel/diner who witness their parents' brutal muder by a robber couple.

Ten years later, older brother Craig Sheffer is taking care of youngster Bradley Gregg, who was blinded in the violent incident. They're sympathetic characters, but the script keeps one guessing as to whether one (or both) of them has become a Norman Bates-esque psychotic.

Matters come to a head when Dennis Hopper's car breaks down and he stays at the boys' gas station with his sexy young wife Lara Flynn Boyle. As in "Paris Trout", Hopper makes a perfect boorish heavy, and under Zeltser's direction, the viewer's sympathy is frequently inverted regarding who to root for.

The film climaxes violently and satisfyingly during a thunderstorm in which emotions flare according to the barometer.

Boyle, post-"Twin Peaks", continues to be one of the sexier young actresses on screen and the entire ensemble cast is good. Tech credits are modest.

It was not the best film, but still I found it rather entertaining and it passed the time the night I watched it. There is a twist in this one and while I have to say I did not see it coming then, I most likely would have now as when you have seen all those movies like the "Sixth Sense" and the numerous copycats since you are just ready for anything a film can dish out. A very wild and strange couple come to a hotel, where the older brother does not really want anyone checking in. The blind, younger brother though turns on the vacant sign and the trouble starts. There is immediately tension in the air as the couple consists of a crazy older guy who likes to have his way and his younger girlfriend who may or may not be tired of the abuse. During this time at the hotel you learn many secrets, not only about this couple, but about the brothers as well. You find out the older brother is very protective of his younger sibling and why. For all the secrets though the movie still needed a bit more. While interesting, it is far from a top notch movie. Just an okay B movie thriller really.

When Dennis Hopper is on screen as an abusive drunk, this movie maintains interest. There is also a very strong opening, however once Hopper disappears, it is a steady slide downhill. Believability towards the end concerning a certain brother's delayed demise, borders on ridiculous. The film is talky, has no nudity, and since everything takes place at one seedy desert motel, there is little to maintain interest. Eventually with the overlong ending, the wheels come off completely. For Dennis Hopper fans this might be worthy of one viewing, even though you have seen him play the same boorish drunk many times before. Others could skip this one for sure. - MERK