Blink

Starring: Madeleine Stowe, Aidan Quinn, James Remar, Peter Friedman, Bruce A. Young, Laurie Metcalf
Directed by: Michael Apted
Rating: R
Genre: Drama, Thriller
1994

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: A blind woman (Madeleine Stowe) gets an eye transplant, but struggles as her vision will take time to focus. During an unfocused period, she becomes an eyewitness to a murder, but can't fully trust what she saw.

Review:

Tim: At first glance, Blink seems like a lightweight, throwaway thriller from the 1990s. It certainly could have been an unmemorable, generic film. However, director Michael Apted and the cast do solid work, slightly elevating this film from the murk. While it may not be a perfectly crafted thriller, it does enough to hold our attention. I enjoyed this movie both times I saw it.

The idea is a bit high concept- a blind woman has an eye transplant and suffers from visions, blurry vision, and a host of other visual-related issues. It seems like most of this is rooted in actual medical cases, but it feels a little farfetched anyway. Regardless, the woman witnesses a murderer after he commits the crime and becomes invaluable to the police as their only lead in the case. Unfortunately, she can't help much because her vision was foggy. While it seems like a lot to deal with, I thought it was an interesting twist on the usual murder mystery.

The performance of Madeleine Stowe helps elevate the film as well. I was always surprised Stowe didn't have a bigger Hollywood career. She might not be a great actress, but she clearly has a good deal of talent. Her performance here as Emma was very strong. She simultaneously plays this hardheaded, self-sufficient woman who isn't afraid to stand up for herself. And yet, she's also fragile, thrust into this crazy, new world of sights that is foreign to her. She manages to balance both these elements to her character quite well. It's an interesting study. Stowe is hands-down the best part of this movie.

She has some help from the supporting cast. I never quite know what to think of Aidan Quinn (he's an actor that I've always found a little difficult to categorize and understand). For the most part, he delivers a solid performance here as the cop assigned to the murder case. He's tough and hardheaded, but there's something un-cop-like underneath it all as well. Through his performance, I could see the characters' need to protect the fragile Stowe and understand how a relationship could emerge from there. There's a few scenes where Quinn's performance may not hit quite the right notes needed, but those are few. James Remar also adds a nice supporting performance as Quinn's partner. He's not great, but he does work well in the role.

Director Michael Apted does a good job of keeping the audience in a state of suspense. We're really not given a lot to go on, so it's not surprising that we're guessing throughout the film. While the eventual reveal felt a little played out or cliched, it still worked within the context of the movie and it set up an interesting climax. I tend to enjoy movies where the characters are doubting reality and have difficulty trusting their own senses or minds. There's a few scenes like that here, where Stowe struggles to make sense of what she saw (or thought she did).

Blink certainly has its flaws, but I think it's too easy to clump it together with the myriad inferior thrillers that came out of Hollywood in the mid-90s. Yes, this movie certainly could have been stronger, but it's still a fairly effective movie. Director Michael Apted is too talented to allow this film to be too forgettable.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



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