Hunt mystery has plenty of thrills and action
I See You
(M, 98 mins) Directed by Adam Randall Reviewed by James Croot ★★★
There was a timewhen Helen Hunt was portrayed as the saviour of humanity – well, Hollywood’s leading men at least.
As she charmed 1990s television audiences alongside Paul Reiser in
Mad About You, she also helped Bill Paxton battle tornadoes in
Twister, beforewinning an Oscar as the waitress who thaws Jack Nicholson’s troubled Melvin Udall in As Good as it Gets.
Then came the new millennium triple punch of Cast Away (as the inspiration for Tom Hanks’ island strandee to try to survive), What Women Want (persuading Mel Gibson to change hisways), and
Pay it Forward (helping heal Kevin Spacey’s emotionally scarred social studies teacher). But then she all but disappeared, offering us only brief reminders of her undoubted acting talents in the likes of 2004’s An Ideal Woman, 2007’s Then She Found Me, and 2013’s The Sessions.
Now, she’s backwith a bang, starring in the revived Mad About You, BBC World War II drama World on Fire, and this oddly effective little chiller.
Hunt plays troubled doctor, Jackie Harper. Her affair has created an icy tension around her home, with relationships with detective husband Greg (Jon Tenney) and son Connor (Judah Lewis) frosty to say the least.
Greg, though, has other worries to keep him occupied. Ten-year-old Justin Whitter has been found dead in a local forest, the scene bearing all the hallmarks of six previous homicides. However, the original perp is behind bars and his lawyer is now using this evidence to try to claim a miscarriage of justice.
Meanwhile, back in the Harper household, things are starting to get a little spooky. The cutlery drawer is mysteriously emptied and record players seemingly start on their own. Could something supernatural be stalking or haunting them and their town?
Very much a film of two halves – this movie’s strength and its weakness – director Adam Randall’s ( Level Up, iboy) tale is a masterclass in sustained tension.
Point-of-view shots and clever camera angles draw the viewer into the action, while some smart misdirections and replaying of scenes from different perspectives up the engrossment factor. Amidway switch in visual format, and William Arcane’s haunting score add to the atmosphere.
The script, written by former Dexter actor Devon Graye is similarly clever, switching the point of focus and throwing in a few delightful twists and turns.
I See You, though, does suffer from that age-old movie mystery problem of not enough characters, with some also essentially disappearing. Still, if you’re craving some thrills, this offers plenty, neat visuals and a solid, grounded plot.
I See You is now streaming on itunes and Youtube and has also just landed on DVD.