EYE FOR AN EYE
US, 1995, 97 minutes, Colour.
Sally Field, Kiefer Sutherland, Joe Mantegna, Olivia Burnette, Beverly D' Angelo, Darrel Larson.
Directed by John Schlesinger.
Revenge issues are found graphically and disturbingly in An Eye for an Eye where Sally Field becomes obsessed with her daughter's rapist killer, tracks him down, and despite warnings from her husband, friends and police, sets him up for final vengeance. This is reminiscent of the Death Wish films Kiefer Sutherland plays the villain without any redeeming features whatsoever. Questionable vengeance.
1. The dramatic impact of the film? The characters, the issues?
2. Violent and sexual crime, the role of the law, the need for justice, vigilante action when the law could not fulfil its role?
3. The audience and emotional identification with the characters, the situation, the justice issues? Intellectual understanding, emotional response, moral judgments? The title and the Old Testament and vengeance?
4. The setting up of the family, the relationships, Karen as mother, her two daughters, their lives, the birthday, Mac and the second marriage, supportive, his job? The setting for tragedy?
5. Karen, her work, friendship with Dolly, driving home, concern about the party, hearing the crime over the phone, her desperate please in the street and her being ignored, wanting a phone, her being pushed over? The audience seeing the visuals of the crime and its horror, the death, the ice sculpture? The impact for the audience? Karen's arrival, the police?
6. The police investigator, his assurances, the arrest, the evidence, his being sure of a conviction, going to court, the wrong procedures, the exasperation of the lawyer, the defence lawyer and her appeal, the judge reluctantly freeing the accused? Karen being mystified, her going to the detective, her warning? His actually going to the accused and confronting him? The next victim? Karen and her anger, the rage against the policeman?
7. Her relationship with Mac, the tension after the death, her going to work, his support, the hurts, her telling lies, the going for the training in martial arts, the gun practice? Her admitting the truth, the decision to go on the holiday? Packing, departure? Her having to stay behind?
8. Her going for the group therapy, the range of people there and their suffering, the issues, the group concerned about vengeance? Her making enquiries, going for the visit, wanting to hire a killer? Buying the gun, the gun practice, the martial arts - and her grim smile as she tried it out in the parking lot? The friend, the truth that she was an FBI investigator, her warnings to Karen, the vigilante activity?
9. The murderer, his crime, in court, his smirks, his abuse of Karen, talking about the victims? Her pursuing him and confronting him? His confronting her? The build-up to the second assault and murder? Her luring him to the house, the confrontation, the violent fight, his challenging her, her shooting him?
10. Karen going to the house of the woman who was to be victimised, her not speaking English, her husband's reaction? Signs of Karen's growing desperation?
11. The final set-up, how much was intentional, how much the malice of the killer? Mack and his driving, turning around? The police? What was the audience left with at the end?
12. The range of views presented in the screenplay: the emotional identification with Karen and her experience of her daughter's death? The more measured approach of Mack? The desperation of the police investigator, his talking about the number of murders that he investigated, his exasperation with the law? Yet his upholding it? The undercover FBI agent, her speech to Karen about law, vigilantism and the law and the possibility of Karen going to jail? The group and the members who took the law into their own hands, hiring shooters? A sufficient range of opinion to face the moral issues of vigilantism and the need for justice and revenge?
