Eyes of Laura Mars (Blu Ray) [Blu-ray] [Region Free]

A solid release of a thriller that has its share of visual flair, brought out nicely on Blu-ray.Faye Dunaway plays New York photographer Laura Mars, whose provocative work has made her a celebrity. However, she suddenly begins to be plagued by visions of her friends and associates being brutally murdered, as they happen. As she meets a police officer (Tommy Lee Jones) and the killer closes in on Laura herself, who is killing everyone she knows?Filmed in the era when New York was a grimy, crime ridden, almost dystopic place, the visuals of the film are terrific in creating an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty. The script, initially by John Carpenter but then changed by subsequent writers, has echoes of his own later work but also connections to giallo, and other POV killer movies (which are explored in the extras). It’s maybe the case that in a thriller with such a heavy body count, it’s whodunnit elements are somewhat rudimentary, as it tries to make everyone a suspect until the final few minutes. It’s a film to enjoy maybe for its style as much as anything else, although the essay booklet included makes the case for other interesting layers beneath the surface as well.Extras are an Irvin Kershner commentary originally recorded in 1999, plus a trailer, a short interview on the film and its place sandwiched between the end of the European giallo period and start of the American slasher cycle Carpenter’s own ‘Halloween’ would launch the same year, and which ‘Mars’ has elements of both within, plus some other bits and bobs.An OK package of extras that don’t take long to watch.

I found the idea interesting, a woman who sees a murder as it is happening (like a psychic hallucination).But for me it lacked atmosphere, horror, suspense and along with quite a bit of nudity it really felt like the 10 second bare bones pitch for the film wasn't expanded upon. The plot twist ending was totally obvious soon after that character was introduced, the characters that they tried to introduce as red herrings were very obviously nothing to do with it, the scenes of the woman photographing her nude murder tableaus added nothing to the atmosphere or plot so I found most of them somewhat gratuitous.The only horror is how unaffected Laura Mars is by seeing first-hand, so to speak, the murder of around four people that she had been working with. Yes she squeaks quite a bit as she is seeing the murder but afterwards seems not to overly care. I suppose with a bit of effort I could read something into that along the lines of 'the superficiality of the fashion world and people who work therein' but overall the film left me feeling that I couldn't be bothered.Very '70s in look and despite the fact that I really like Tommy Lee Jones as an actor I couldn't get out of my head that he was channeling his inner Budgie (Adam Faith) with cheeky boy look, hair cut, and clothes.

I know there are plenty of people who believe that modern movies are mostly rubbish, and the art of cinema has definitely declined in the past half century. Actually, films like THE EYES OF LAURA MARS remind me just how far movies have developed in my lifetime.Shot in the late 1970s, this is one of those ‘classic’ thrillers that had somehow passed me by. Odd, because I’m a big fan of John Carpenter’s work, and never say no to Tommy Lee Jones – even in flares and looking strangely like a CGI recreation of his younger self.Seen through modern eyes, although some of the performances feel clumsily overblown, the themes of Laura Mars are eerily topical. A photographer uses graphic images of naked women to highlight the anti-female violence inherent in western society. She’s possibly being stalked by a psycho killer, or is she hysterically fantasising the graphic murder scenes? Has her volatile ex-husband returned to punish her? Will her handsome new lover be able to save her? Will anyone guess the Big Twist? It reads like the synopsis of any modern psychological thriller.And some bits are actually excellent. The filming in places is absurdly accomplished. René Auberjonois and Brad Dourif imbue their Etch-a-Sketch stereotype characters with genuine depth. The central conceit – that Laura Mars sees the murders as they happen through the eyes of the killer – is a cracker. And the plot is strong enough that I really didn’t figure out whodunit until the final reveal.So it’s definitely a film of its time, creaking around the seams, and a lot less sophisticated than any current TV crime series. But I’m glad we watched it.7/10

This was not a great film when first released and still isn't now - the plot structure is way too flawed - but it is an interesting film. To see how raw and grimy New York was in the 1970s makes it worth buying this Blu ray alone. The print has been cleaned up beautifully and the audio quality is excellent. Ultimately, the film is too camp and kitsch to be scary; the idea of having a "horror" film with a theme song performed by Barbra Streisand (who was originally to play Laura Mars) just about confirms that!