Eye For An Eye (1996)
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A grieving mother becomes obsessed with finding justice after her daughter's murderer is released from custody due to a lack of evidence.
The story
After the tragic murder of her teenage daughter, Karen McCann finds herself in a grief support group where she meets others facing similar tragedies. When the legal system fails to convict the man identified as her daughter's killer due to a procedural error, Karen becomes consumed by an obsession with the man's whereabouts. While her husband, Mack, attempts to move forward with their lives, Karen begins to stalk the suspect, monitoring his movements and activities. As the legal system fails to provide justice, Karen's mental state begins to deteriorate, leading her to seek out unconventional ways to confront the man who destroyed her family.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After her daughter Julie is murdered, Karen McCann's life is shattered. When the court dismisses the case against the killer, Robert Doob, due to a lack of evidence, Karen becomes obsessed with him. She stalks him and eventually learns of a plot by a fellow support group member to take vigilante action. After a series of events, including a stint in a self-defense class and a warning from an undercover FBI agent, Karen decides to take matters into her own hands. She lures Doob into a confrontation at her home. During a violent struggle, she manages to shoot and kill him. When the police arrive, they rule her actions as self-defense, and her husband Mack ultimately understands her actions.
- First release year
- 1996
- Runtime (minutes)
- 101
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- John Schlesinger
- Writers
- Rick Jaffa · screenplay; Amanda Silver · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Sally Field · Karen McCann; Kiefer Sutherland · Robert Doob; Ed Harris · Mack McCann, Karen's husband; Beverly D'Angelo · Dolly Green; Joe Mantegna · Detective Joe Denillo; Charlayne Woodard · FBI Agent Angel Kosinsky; Olivia Burnette · Julie McCann, Karen teenage daughter from her previous marriage; Alexandra Kyle · Megan McCann, Karen and Mack's daughter
- Genres
- psychological thriller; crime drama; crime thriller
- Themes
- vigilantism; grief; justice; maternal instinct
- Tone and mood
- tense; dark; unpleasant
- Premise and plot tags
- rape and revenge; courtroom drama; home invasion
- Source material / true-story basis
- Erika Holzer's novel of the same name
- Reception
- The film received mostly negative reviews from critics, with some describing it as mean-spirited and empty.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 7% · scale: percentage · review count: 41; Metacritic · score: 25 · scale: 100 · review count: 23
- Production trivia
- The film was produced on a budget of $20 million.; The film grossed $26.9 million.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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