Eyes of Laura Mars

Sure.... Compared to the thrillers of today - it just can't compare. It seems low budget and 3rd world in quality. But it's got so much more beneath the surface.

The plot is simple - a 'High Fashion' photographer (Laura Mars) begins to have visions of brutal murders - both when sleeping and while awake. Some of these visions begin to seep into her work and her images. But soon, the visions begin to include many of her friends, acquaintances and co-workers. A homicide detective (John Neville) assigned to the case begins hanging around and trying to solve the case, including the murders involving Laura's friends. Many of Laura's friends & acquaintances get killed along the way, leaving her emotionally bereft and open to Neville's advances. I won't blow the end of the film (as others may) by giving away the twists and turns.

There are a few decent performances in the movie - including Rene Auberjunois as Laura's 'flamboyantly flaming' manager, assistant and best friend. And, how he can wear a dress....

This stylish & sometimes sexy thriller is an 8 of 10 when the age of the flick comes into consideration. Decent plot, decent acting and decent twists. And, I am sorry, but Barbara Streisand's opening song still stands as one of my all time favorite songs.... Speaking of the opening, the opening credits of the film are kinda creepy and chilling. Go rent it and decide for yourself!

I saw Eyes of Laura Mars a few years ago and just watched it again very recently. I remembered it as being fantastic but upon watching it again I was a little disappointed. It's a solid film, by no means bad, it's just nothing all that special.

For the past 3 years or so I've been totally hooked on giallo's and this film plays in a lot of ways like an homage to those Italian thrillers. Touches here and there remind you of Dario Argento (obsessive mirror imagery, Laura's visions etc.), Lucio Fulci, Sergio Martino and Mario Bava, such as the model settings and murder scenarios. While this film scores heavy on style (and music, though I find this soundtrack a bit hokey, but generally OK) it just lacks the magic that the best giallo's seem to have. The plot, while intriguing enough, is not nearly played out to it's full potential. There are gripping scenes here to be sure, but the film drags quite a bit and nothing virtually happens for a long period of time.

For seasoned giallo fans, we know the killer is most definitely gonna be the most unlikely one, and for a lack of suspects, I didn't find it hard to figure out who was guilty, but there's pretty much no logic to support it (but that's a giallo trademark, a pro rather than a con actually). For me, the problem is that this film doesn't have the same trashy feel and atmosphere as the best Italian thrillers it seems to be imitating. In a lot of ways I like this film, certain scenes are truly gripping but there's simply something lacking. Being a huge fan of John Carpenter, I can't help but think what he could have done had he directed this. He came up with the story and shares the credits as the writer of the screenplay and what's more, he loves the Italian giallo films as well. His own homage to the genre; Someone's Watching Me, the little known TV film was terrific and you could see that he definitely had the feel for the genre and could easily translate it to American settings. I don't feel that Kershner, as good a director as he is, has the same love for the genre as Carpenter.

I recommend watching it, it scores on a number of levels.

A 1970's supernatural thriller in which most of the positives for me had to do with its setting and time period. The on-location footage in the dirty streets of New York, the peek behind the scenes at fashion shows, and all the hair on these actors held some appeal. Tommy Lee Jones and Faye Dunaway are both reasonably good in their roles, and filling in a solid supporting cast are Brad Dourif and Raul Julia. It was fun hearing "Boogie Nights" by Heatwave and "(Shake Shake Shake) Shake Your Booty by KC and the Sunshine Band, though I didn't think the track from Barbra Streisand fit in as well.

The premise of a woman who suddenly develops the ability to see through the eyes of a serial killer was a pretty good one, and it was amusing guessing what was going, but the film got weaker as it went, leading to a disappointing payoff. The murder mystery is rather tepid (and a far cry from giallo if you ask me), and then a howlingly cheesy romance develops between the two leads. There is never a hint about what might be the cause of the clairvoyant ability, and the big twist doesn't jive very well with the actions of the characters beforehand. It's not terrible as a little window into the 70's, but it's not very good either.

This movie was around for twenty years before I saw it. I recall it as not having the best of reputations. But I found it to be suspenseful and it could be considered a forerunner of today's erotic thrillers.

Faye Dunaway is Laura Mars, a fashion/glamour photographer whose work is controversial in that some say it glorifies both sex and violence towards women. (Sounds like a pretty contemporary theme, doesn't it?) She becomes troubled by frightening visions she has of killers-eye views of murders. When a killing she has just "seen" turns out to have actually happened nearby she tells the police. She then finds out that a detective (Tommy Lee Jones) has already been investigating some cases where murder scenes closely resembled her photos.

Dunaway is always consistent in delivering good performances and this one is no exception. It was refreshing not to see Jones in his "Mr. Intensity" character he's played so often since 'The Fugitive.' Although some will doubtless find flaws to point up here and there, I found the film to be very enjoyable. Brad Dourif, Rene Aberjonois and Raul Julia also star. Irvin Kershner's direction is stylish and John Carpenter is responsible for the story and co-wrote the script.

Eyes of Laura Mars -- Horror/Thriller -- 1978

This is an old supernatural thriller of sorts from way back in the 70s'. It revolves around a female fashion/glamour photographer who lives to make crude photographic nudie art that sepcializes in scenes of violence. Some people find her "art" to be rather disturbing and horribly offensive. So someone decides to go around killing her friends and acquaintances. To make matters worse, Laura Mars can see the murders happening--through her own eyes!

Here's the breakdown:

The Good:

--Clever story, and fairly original. Adds a nice twist to the usual cops-hunting-murderer story.

--Good acting all around. Brad Dourif is creepy, Tommy Lee Jones is cool, Raul Julia is... kinda weird...

--Good atmosphere and cinematography all around, with some strong direction. The tense moments are generally pretty well done.

--Some nice, genuine, surprises throughout the film. It does manage to successfully keep you guessing just who the killer is.

Didn't Hurt It, Didn't Help:

--Contains a decent amount of fairly well-known actors including Faye Dunaway, Tommy Lee Jones, Brad Dourif (better known as Chucky from the Child's Play series), Raul Julia, and Rene Auberjonois (famous for his Star Trek: Deep Space Nine role). It was also co-written by John "Halloween" Carpenter.

--Quite a bit of nudity. She is taking pictures of naked "victims of violence" after all.

--Somewhat grotesque 70's music permeates here and there.

--Some decent character development and depth.

The Bad:

--Not quite as scary or riveting as I'm sure it was back in '78. This review being written in 2006.

--Some "logic" problems every now and then. For instance, when Laura Mars sees someone being murdered, that's all she sees--yet there are times when she seems to be able to move around, once even driving a car, with more competence than one would expect from someone who just instantly "went blind."

--Occasional dips in the quality of the atmosphere and writing.

The Ugly:

--The make-up used on the models in the 70's. Holy crap!

Memorable Scene:

--Nice climax to the film.

Fun Fact:

--The photographic art in the film is actually from professional "glamour" photographer Helmut Newton.

Acting: 8/10 , Story: 8/10 , Atmosphere: 7/10 , Cinematography: 8/10 , Character Development: 7/10 , Special Effects/Make-up: 7/10 , Dialog: 7/10 , Music: 6/10 , Direction: 9/10

Nudity/Sexuality: 5/10 , Violence: 6/10 , Gore: 3/10

Cheesiness: 2/10 , Crappiness: 0/10

Overall: 7/10

Finally, I would recommend this to hardcore horror/thriller fans or film buffs. John Carpenter or Tommy Lee Jones fans will likely enjoy it. The movie is not without its problems, small though they are, but may not be enjoyed all that well by many modern viewers.

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