Through the Eyes of a Killer (1992) (TV)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

Peter Markle

Writers (WGA):

Christopher Fowler (short story "The Master Builder")
Solomon Isaacs (written by)

Release Date:

15 December 1992 (USA)

Genre:

Thriller

Plot:

A woman has a brief affair with the contractor who is renovating her apartment and he refuses to accept the end of the relationship. |

Plot Keywords:

Apartment | Obsession | Peeping Tom | Lover | Builder

Cast

Marg Helgenberger	...	Laurie Fisher
Richard Dean Anderson	...	Ray Bellano
David Marshall Grant	...	Max Campbell
Melinda Culea	...	Alison Rivers
Tippi Hedren	...	Mrs. Bellano
Joe Pantoliano	...	Jerry
Monica Parker	...	Dorothy
Joyce Seeley	...	Jerry's Secretary
John McCann	...	Laurie's Father
Pat Bermel	...	Policeman #1
Bobby Stewart	...	Policeman #2
William S. Taylor	...	Barnes
Nancy Banks	...	Female Detective
Frank Ferrucci	...	Detective #1
Bob Spence	...	TV Announcer

Also Known As:

The Master Builder

MPAA:

Rated R for terror/violence and some sexuality.

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

USA:R | UK:18

Filming Locations:

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Morgan Hill Productions

The Secret Sharer

This is about average for TV fare and belongs on Lifetime Movies for Women. The performances are the best part of the work, probably. Marg Helgenberger is a delight to look at with her wide blue eyes and model's bone structure and her cute belly and saucy rump. Her talent as an actress is modest but that's good enough. The guy who plays Roy more successfully inhabits his character though. Unlike Helgenberger he seems not to be playing himself but rather a role. The role itself isn't too original: fantasy number three, sub a, in which a classy woman aquires a gardener or, in this case, an unlicensed architect, who unexpectedly makes rather rough love to her and she loves it. (I thought that was supposed to be offensive to women.) A friend asks her for the details of their sex life and Helgenberger displays, unseen by the viewer, the inside of her thigh and says, "Does this give you any indication?" I'm still wondering about that. This particular gardener, I mean unlicensed architect, is an untidy person with rough hands and an artistic soul, but he makes the mistake of wanting Helgenberger to love him as much as he loves her, whereas she's perfectly satisfied with nothing more than a physical relationship. As it is, he turns out to be an unreliable lover. He rapes her best friend, finishes redoing her apartment, and disappears.

So far so good. But then the narrative gets kind of twisted. Joe Pantoliano has been hanging around in the background, mooning over his now defunct relationship with Helgenberger. He's quite good, as always, but his part is miniscule. The raped best friend disappears. The unlicensed architect disappears. Pantoliano disappears. But SOMEBODY is hanging around, because weird things start going on in Helgenberger's apartment -- all the appliances start running at once, the oven uncalibrates itself and turns the casserole to a cinder, doors and floorboards creak, a bloody hand grabs at her while she is taking a shower, things like that. (We never learn who the bloody hand belonged to but it doesn't matter. It's one of several cheap shocks used in the film. A hand reaching in from out of frame and grabbing her shoulder and it's only a friend who the writers and director neglected to inform us was present.) The shower scene is clearly indebted to "Psycho," down to the trembling violins on the score, but without Hermann's innovative shrieks.

The movie isn't really worth any more analysis or comment. You've seen it before in one or another isotopic form. If there's nothing else on TV and you've caught up on all your reading or homework, this will pass the time.