Only his third film in 17 years, Scottish director Donald Cammell followed his mind and identity-bending psychedelic masterpiece Performance (1968) and the studio-butchered Demon Seed (1977) with another oddity, the strange and confusing, yet nonetheless effortlessly intriguing White of the Eye. Cammell killed himself shortly after seeing his final film, Wild Side (1995), heavily censored by an appalled producer, at the end of what seemed like a frustrating career. It's a shame he wasn't allowed more opportunities to direct features, as although White of the Eye sometimes steers into TV-movie aesthetic and features an unnecessarily overblown climax, it is something to be savoured and thought about a long time after the credits roll.After a series of brutal murders of upper-class women, tire tracks left by the killer leads Detective Charlie Mendoza (Art Evans) to sound expert Paul White (Keith David). We learn through flashbacks the meeting of Paul and his now-wife Joan (Cathy Moriarty), and how he stole her away from her boyfriend Mike Desantos (Alan Rosenberg). There's something not quite right about Paul - he has the strange ability to omit a sound that echoes through his head, allowing him to hear at what point in a room that the sound from speakers should come from. Mike knows something too, and when Joan discovers Paul's secret affair, she slowly uncovers who her husband really is.There's not really much point trying to unravel the mysteries in the movie, as it will leave you with a headache. Below the surface of giallo-esque murders and the sleazy Lynchian atmosphere, there seems to be a mythology happening somewhere. At one point, Paul whispers "I am the One,". Is this really a deeper story than it lets on, or is Paul just simply a narcissistic loon? Whatever it is, the film works better if you just let it play out, as the film has a lot to offer in terms of style. The soundtrack, by Rick Fenn and Pink Floyd's Nick Mason, is a powerful presence, and drums up a dusty, apocalyptic feel reminiscent of Richard Stanley's Dust Devil, which came out 5 years later.David's performance is also impressive, especially in the latter stages when he is let off the leash. But it's about the only good thing about the climax, which tries too hard to be a number of different things and fails in just about every one of them. It becomes almost generic, with car chases and a stalk-and-slash set-piece, completely betraying the slow-build that came before. Whether Cammell was simply trying to appease his producers or indulging in mainstream aspirations, I don't know. Still, this is a bizarre little treat; uncomfortable and distinctive, cementing it's status as a must-see for fans of cult oddities. www.the-wrath-of-blog.blogspot.com

this films is definitely an under-seen gem... David Keith will scare the crap out of you. Beautifully filmed, excellent pacing, and Cathy Moriarity is as sexy a woman as has ever graced the screen. Glad to see that a few others were lucky/smart enough to see this film... for years i thought i was one of about 4 people who had even heard of it.

What we have here is a clear case of a movie that tries to get by on sheer style, without any particular concern for the story or the characters. There are many interesting directorial touches and a unique atmosphere, but the film suffers from a weak script, and from overlength. Strictly for fans of the offbeat. (**)

A friend of mine who once watched this film with me said it was the biggest load of old cobblers he'd seen in a long time. I couldn't disagree, having watched it 13 times myself, I'm still not sure if it's a masterpiece or a turkey. It's certainly the best wrapped turkey you're ever likely to see. He builds the whole thing up beautifully and then throws it away on a daft, flat and over-the-top Rambo grande finale. I think Cammel missed the point of his own film, which is basically a chamber piece. The killer's wife didn't turn him in because she wanted an explanation. Instead, perhaps because he didn't get to make a film often, he threw life, the universe and everything into the mix in a garish jumble.The direction is a curious mixture of styles, some of it shot like a commercial, other parts almost cinema verite. The camera seems to explore the universe the characters inhabit, often lurching off to look at a picture for no apparent reason. In the scene where Mrs White discovers what's behind the bathtub, the camera seems to lurch to give credence to the expression 'my world turned upside down.' The film reminds me of Nick Roeg's 'Bad Timing' to the extent that it could have been directed by him. Cammel and Roeg did both work together and seem to have fascinatingly similiar visions. The film's old fashioned sixties drug warp Roger Corman style is always dazzling. Being a painter, Cammel makes each frame count. His idiosyncratic style reminds one how bland and formulic most Hollywood product has become and how lacking in singular artistic vision. It's just a shame he wasn't given subject matter more worthy of his talent.Cammel apparently thought it was really beautiful that David Kieth was willing to go so far into his character but, although good, he often gives an amused and bemused expression as if to say: "Blimey, what bizarre sh*t have I got involved with here?" Cammel was an interesting scriptwriter, and builds up a real picture of small town life before the film descends into the surreal and otherworldly. The music is playfully mixed too. I love the way the cayote's bark seems to hit the beat of the blues guitar in the scene where Paul White is banished to the outhouse.Now that Cammel has sadly kicked the bucket, we can no longer ask him about the more bizarre aspects of this extroadinary and vivid experience. Why does the camera constantly pick out satellite dishes and allude to 'signals'? How could the ex-boyfriend Mike 'see' everything in his head? Why does he say:"you can't change a channel, future or past". Why does Paul White grin and say: "reruns!" We shall never know. My friend said the only thing this picture lacked is the sudden appearence of Dennis Hopper.