I See You

I have been reading more and more about this film on the internet as more and more people watch it. While I didn’t take much notice of the reviews at first, the more I see its name mentioned, the more I became curious about it.

When the film started, I thought it is going to be one of those mystery films which an unknown entity starts troubling people and you get to find who or what it is towards the end of the film. Well, this film is also like this but with a big, unexpected twist halfway through. And for that, the film gets a positive rating from me. A well-deserved 7/10.

Would I watch it again? Probably not. Would I make my friends watch it? Sure.

Click here for a video version of this review: https://youtu.be/YhEhAndmxxM

I don't know if it was the bad acting, its inability to settle on a genre, or Helen Hunt's facelift, but I See You is a mixed bag of a movie. Never heard of this one? Consider yourself lucky. Regardless, here is the official description:

When a 12-year-old boy goes missing, lead investigator Greg Harper struggles to balance the pressure of the investigation and troubles with his wife, Jackie. Facing a recent affair, great strain is put on the family that slowly gnaws away at Jackie's grip on reality. But after a malicious presence manifests itself in their home and puts their son, Connor, in mortal danger, the cold, hard truth about evil in the Harper household is finally uncovered.

This is one of those movies where there are no heroes or anyone to cheer for, because everyone is an asshole. Helen Hunt fails to fire, the rest of the family are bland, and some characters that turn up later are so lame that they elicited many laughs out of me - in a movie that is most certainly not a comedy. The film takes what should be a horrifying situation but muddies it with an unneeded side plot about the father. Which is a shame because the movie overall has a good concept but would have been so much better with a stronger cast who could really sell it, a stronger score to punch up the tension, and a stronger commitment to sticking to one main storyline so it remains focused.

This is, in my opinion, very much a Friday-night-after-a-few-drinks type of movie.

I See You is a gripping tale that brings together a family of three, the law enforcement, and some strange beings that first gives you a feeling of horror but then later takes a virulent turn to shock and impress you as you stay invested in the plot till the very end, only supported by the arresting background score. Best watched in a home theatre. Also, I learned about a new concept here.

Strange goings-on and dark secrets in a lush hamlet of the Buckeye State

As boys go missing in a northeast Ohio town, the detective on the case (Jon Tenney) struggles with his marriage while their son (Judah Lewis) blames his mother (Helen Hunt). Meanwhile unexplainable things mount up. What’s going on?

“I See You” (2019) is a mystery/drama with horror/thriller bits. The first 38 minutes are rather mundane, but they’re merely a set-up for the final hour in which several hidden things are revealed. I don’t want to say more because the surprising revelations are part of the fun of a movie like this.

Helen was 55 when during. Critics complained that she was too old for the role, but she wasn’t. Her son in the story is about 17, which means that Jacke (Helen) would’ve given birth at the age of 38 and this isn’t exactly extraordinary. After all, my mother had me when she was 39.

“I See You” is rather obscure, but it shouldn’t be. It delivers the goods for a crime thriller/horror. I shouldn’t close without mentioning petite Libe Barer in the role of Mindy.

The movie runs 1 hours, 38 minutes, and was shot in the greater Cleveland area, including Chagrin Falls, Lakewood (the Harper abode on Lake Erie), Solon, Linwood Park and Sirna's Farm in Auburn.

GRADE: B+