La prossima vittima

Karen McCann (Sally Field) is preparing the birthday party of her younger daughter Megan (Alexandra Kyle). Her older daughter Julie (Olivia Burnette) goes home earlier in the afternoon to help in the preparation and talks by phone with her mother that is in a traffic jam. Out of the blue, a man breaks in the house and rapes and kills Julie. Det. Sgt. Denillo (Joe Mantegna) is in charge of the investigation and captures the killer Robert Doob (Kiefer Sutherland) with strong evidence against him. However, his lawyer uses a technical detail to dismiss the evidence and Robert is released. Karen and her husband Mack (Ed Harris) are advised to go to a support group and she discovers that there are vigilantes entwined in the group. Meanwhile Karen follows Robert that works delivering groceries and she finds that he intends to attack a Latin woman. She tries to warn the police and the probable victim, but she is driven away by them. When Robert finds that Karen is following him, he threatens her sayng that he would visit Megan. Karen decides to have self-defense and shooting classes and the vigilante Sidney Hughes (Philip Baker Hall) gives a revolver to her. When the woman she tried to warn is murdered by Robert, Karen plots a scheme to get rid of the killer.

"Eye for an Eye" is a dramatic thriller with a great story of justice and revenge. It is a shame that lawyers use breaches in the laws to defend scums like the character Robert Doob, but that is the sad reality. The praiseworthy attitude of Karen McCann is an exception but perfectly understood in the situation. The acting is excellent and the plot is timeless. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Olho por Olho" ("Eye for an Eye")

Note: On 03 September 2024, I saw this movie again.

EYE FOR AN EYE is an intense, nail-biting thriller that has a good message and taut direction. The script is from the people who wrote HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE, and this is just as intense. While the whole cast delivers fine performances, Kiefer Sutherland is the one who stands out and does a creepy job. It may be hard to watch at times, but I thought it was a rather moving and powerful film.

Nothing beats a good revenge movie, it's a thing people like to watch, making your own justice when all the legal options failed. Fantasizing about what we would do if we were the victim of injustice. For a vigilante movie Eye For An Eye is entertaining but it's not the best in the genre. For that there are too much inconsistencies and is the bad guy (played by Kiefer Sutherland) probably the dumbest vilain ever seen. But it's worth a watch, there is some suspense, we get some justice served, and that's why we watch movies like this one. It was probably better in the nineties but since then there are better movies made in this genre.

"Eye for an Eye" (1996): Starring Sally Field, Ed Harris, Kiefer Sutherland, Beverly D'Angelo, and Joe Mantegna. Our stories tell us where we've been, where we are, and where we hope to go. THIS story is a Where We Are type. A family loses a loved one to violence. If that wasn't enough, the perpetrator doesn't see justice. Each deals with it in their own way, and everyone changes. Slowly we head towards an inevitable encounter. Sally Fields is great as a person torn over how to go on, Ed Harris does his classic stoic/occasionally almost emotional role, Joe Mantegna is very good as a hard working cop, and Kiefer Sutherland is great as a true sociopath. This is a tense drama that doesn't jump over scenes for the sake of reaching a climax. It's not that the characters are the most complex or unique in film history – but they ring true – and there in lies the strength of "Eye for an Eye". It could have been ANY of us.

Before the hit television show "24," Keifer Sutherland played mostly despicable, evil characters. That's what he does in this film, as "Robert Doob," a low-life who rapes and kills Sally Field's daughter and then is unfairly released by the courts. Sally, playing "Karen McCann," goes after justice.

Almost everyone loves a revenge story and that, of course, is what this movie is, pure and simple: kind of a female "Death Wish."

As for the characters, Sutherland is "over the top" with his guy - way, way past despicable, so ridiculously bad and evil you might even laugh.

For those who picture Sally Field as "The Flying Nun," this movie will be a shock. She is anything but the sweet, wholesome-looking girl she appeared to be in so many of her films when she was younger.....or even the new TV commercials of today. Even though she has shown she can be very foul- mouthed ('m talking 'real life'), somehow seeing her portrayed here as a vigilante, doesn't ring up. Charles Bronson, yes; Sally Field, uh.....no.

Be warned: this is a tough movie in spots, especially in the beginning. It is very similar to the opening in "Death Wish," and is not for the squeamish.

This isn't a bad movie. It is extremely manipulative and has a bunch of plot holes, but if you love revenge films and don't care about particularly intelligent scripts (although the mad-as-hell mom isn't stupid in here), you can just add this one to your library. It serves its purpose of entertaining.