Blink (1994)

Absolutely brilliant

A lot of fun.

There are women in the film, but none has anything you could call a personality.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

DVDs are wonderful things. Picking up this one recently gives me an opportunity to review yet another favorite from way back when.Madeleine Stowe features as Emma Brody, a gifted violinist living in Chicago, who was blinded as a young girl by her abusive mother. The story proper opens with her receiving corneal transplants after 20 or so years of blindness. This restores her sight, but her mind is so overwhelmed by the resulting flood of images that it operates a kind of delay in its processing so that she only perceives certain things some time after actually seeing them. One of the images so processed is that of a possible murderer…I have no idea whether this phenomenon is actually possible medically, but I didn't care much. The story is otherwise rather conventional, though its treatment is vivid. British-born Michael Apted knows his stuff and conveys a startling impression of Emma's situation and the Chicago she lives in.Stowe turns in a convincing, if sometimes rather shrill, performance, while Aidan Quinn is also good as the detective more or less in charge of the case, with whom Emma has a romance of sorts. The supporting players, including the excellent James Remar, are effective. I must admit though that the expression "red shirt" crossed my mind when a not very bright uniformed officer (named Crowe and played by Matt Roth) was assigned to keep an eye on Emma. My suspicions were more than justified.A satisfying thriller nevertheless – adequate plot, excellent playing, good music, and lively direction. Who could want more?Rating: 7/10.

There was no 'story box' in this film, but there certainly was a mystery - a mystery surrounding who was the killer. But not just that, but was there a killer. And the main witness was a woman who's vision wasn't great and was a new recipient of a cornea transplant.Throughout the viewer has to question whether there actually is a killer. You might suspect the doctor for good reason. Maybe one of the cops as well. The writers certainly keeps you in long enough to discover who the killer is and if the formerly blind woman actually saw him or her.Overall, its a fairly good movie. Not too thrilling, but enough to watch again someday. "B-"

Committed playing to the gallery from some standard 90s favourites, but not enough to save this film. I was rather hoodwinked by the trailer which looked good. In fact the movie is a thin, generic thriller with an afterthought subplot of an affair.Aidan Quinn gets some good buddy support but that cop ensemble doesn't reach beyond its precinct. Quinn and Stowe are perfectly capable of making something of their scenes but said scenes are too closely proscribed and might as well have been played by body doubles. And those who can't see the twist coming should invest in the featured surgery. 3/10

I didn't find much "thrill" in this thriller but that doesn't mean it isn't worth watching. I loved the story about the blind woman who gets a transplant and can see for the first time since she was a little girl. I like her strong will and defiance and her ironically delicate job as a violinist. I like the way she deals with her troubled past and can just announce to strangers what has happened to her. I like her stormy relationship with a jaded bachelor cop almost past his prime. All of this was told and played brilliantly. I wish that they'd just left the thriller aspect out and concentrated on these two believable, real and interesting characters. That was the movie to make. Stowe is particularly good in these kinds of roles and I count myself as a fan after seeing this and Twelve Monkeys.