Eyewitness
1981 Directed by Peter Yates
Synopsis
Only the best murder cases make the six o'clock news.
Daryll Deever is a janitor in an office building in New York, and a big fan of TV news reporter, Tony Sokolow. When a rich man is murdered in Daryll's building, Tony comes to cover the story and Daryll introduces himself to her. Thinking he may know something about the crime, Tony pursues him, and in order to keep seeing her, he pretends that he does. As the two of them play this game, the killers are watching, assuming that Daryll and Tony both know more about the crime than they do.
Cast
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I have a soft spot for movies like this. Stupid crime dramas from the 80s. unfortunately, the film is not really that good. skip it unless you are in love with Sigourney Weaver or William Hurt.
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The great Peter Yates and screenwriter Steve Tesich previously collaborated on the flawless coming-of-age classic Breaking Away, but Yates (one of my favorite directors of all time) is likely at fault for the various failings of this fascinating bomb of a reunion. It was reportedly Yates' idea to have Tesich combine two completely disconnected screenplays he was working on, and the result is such an obvious Frankenstein that it's hard to make sense of it. The initial setup of a William Hurt's janitor forging a relationship with Sigourney Weaver's journalist built on mutual exploitation is promising, and a lot of the elements work pretty well on their own. But the B-plot sits distractingly on the side of the pool for…
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After watching Eyewitness, I was not at all surprised to learn that it was cobbled together from two unfinished screenplays. There's lots of good stuff here, but it ultimately just doesn't work. Screenwriter Steve Tesich doles out some interesting, albeit heavy themes - the film deals with post-Vietnam feelings, lingering racism, and persecuted Jews escaping to America.
William Hurt's Vietnam veteran is working as a janitor in a building where a wealthy Vietnamese business man is murdered. Hurt's recently-fired best friend, James Woods, is the obvious suspect. Hurt implies to TV newswoman Sigourney Weaver that he knows more than he's letting on in an effort to court her.
There's some great character work here from the cast: Hurt's damaged vet…
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Messy script wasted on good actors. Remains entertaining in a nostalgic way.
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I have a soft spot for movies like this. Stupid crime dramas from the 80s. unfortunately, the film is not really that good. skip it unless you are in love with Sigourney Weaver or William Hurt.
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As a drama, this works very well. Weaver, Hurt, Plummer & Woods all give great performances. As a mystery however it doesn't really. When the murderer is revealed it comes out of left field. A little bit more info in the beginning of the film would have helped make it feel less "forced". Anyway, watch it for the performances, not the mystery.
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The great Peter Yates and screenwriter Steve Tesich previously collaborated on the flawless coming-of-age classic Breaking Away, but Yates (one of my favorite directors of all time) is likely at fault for the various failings of this fascinating bomb of a reunion. It was reportedly Yates' idea to have Tesich combine two completely disconnected screenplays he was working on, and the result is such an obvious Frankenstein that it's hard to make sense of it. The initial setup of a William Hurt's janitor forging a relationship with Sigourney Weaver's journalist built on mutual exploitation is promising, and a lot of the elements work pretty well on their own. But the B-plot sits distractingly on the side of the pool for…
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I'm a sucker for a good thriller and James Woods. A solid cast and a good mystery.
I'm wondering if I missed something in the beginning that would have dropped a clue or two on the motive and therefor the killer.