Sally Field’s 1996 psychological thriller has become a global Netflix hit nearly three decades after its release. Field is a highly decorated actress whose career has spanned over six decades, starting during the 1960s with the sitcomsGidgetandThe Flying Nunbefore transitioning to acclaimed dramatic roles.Field won her first Academy Awardfor Best Actress in 1980 forNorma Rae, her second forPlaces in the Heartin 1985, and earned an additional nomination for Steven Spielberg’sLincolnin 2013.
Though she’s best known for starring in acclaimed dramas, Field has shown some versatility and also ventured into darker territory with roles in thrillers. This includes suspenseful projects such as Sydney Pollack’sAbsence of Malicein 1981, in which she played a journalist entangled in an ethical dilemma. At the height of the genre’s popularity in 1996,Field starred in the psychological thriller,Eye for an Eye, delivering a gripping performance as a grieving mother seeking justice after her daughter’s murder, though the movie itself saw mixed results.
Eye For An Eye Becomes A Global Netflix Hit
It Ranks 8th For This Week
Eye for an Eyehas become a global Netflix hit nearly three decades after its release. Directed by John Schlesinger, with a script written by Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver (Planet of the Apes,Avatar) adapted from Erika Holzer’s novel, the 1996 psychological thriller stars Sally Field asa woman seeking her own form of justiceafter the courts fail to imprison the man who raped and murdered her daughter. Thecast also includes Kiefer Sutherland, Ed Harris, Beverly D’Angelo, Joe Mantegna, and Cynthia Rothrock.
20 Best Psychological Thrillers Of The 1990s
Seven, Primal Fear, and The Silence of the Lambs are just some of the greatest psychological thrillers from the decade that was dominated by the genre
Now, nearly three decades after its release, Sally Field’s 1996 psychological thriller has become a globalNetflixhit.Eye for an Eyeranks eighth on Netflix’s Global Top 10 moviesfor this week with 4.4 million views and 7.4 million hours viewed, ranking belowCarry-On,Ma,Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, and aboveThe Six Triple Eight. The film finished in the Top 10 in 20 countries, mostly in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Eye for an Eyeisn’t available on Netflix in the United States, though it is streaming on MGM+.
Our Take On Eye For An Eye’s Netflix Success
It’s One Of Sally Field’s Worst Films
With an abysmal 8% score on Rotten Tomatoes,Eye for an Eyeis easily one of the worst films of Sally Field’s otherwise accomplished career. However, it’s difficult to find much fault with her gripping performance. At the time of its release,director John Schlesinger, who won an Academy Award forMidnight Cowboyand earned additional nominations forDarlingandSunday Bloody Sunday, was blamed for the film’s failures, with critics calling it the cruelest and most hollow work of his diverse career.
Eye for an Eye is an excessively dramatic, poorly crafted, and deeply unappealing film.
At the time of its release,Roger Ebert was one ofEye for an Eye’s harshest critics. In his review for theChicago Sun-Times, he rated the film one out of four stars, describing it as “a particularly nasty little example of audience manipulation.” He goes on to criticize it for being “intellectually corrupt because it deliberately avoids dealing with the issues it raises.”
Ebert also drew a comparison to the successful 1995 crime dramaDead Man Walking, whichSusan Sandron won an Oscar for. He states that “Dead Man Walking challenges us to deal with a wide range of ethical and moral issues. Eye for an Eye cynically blinkers us, excluding morality as much as it can, to service an exploitation plot.“The New York Times’Janet Maslin was also one ofEye for an Eye’s harshest critics.
1h 41m
$20 million
$26.9 million
8%
RT Audience Score
55%
Maslin argued, “Never in his varied career has Mr. Schlesinger made a film as mean-spirited and empty as this.” She also believes that “the sole purpose of Eye for an Eye is to excite blood lust from the audience.” It wasn’t just these two critics that took issue withEye for an Eye. With an incrediblylow 8% Rotten Tomatoes score, the overwhelming majority of critics considerEye for an Eyeanexcessively dramatic, poorly crafted, and deeply unappealing filmthat shamelessly capitalizes on every parent’s worst fear, resulting in an offensively manipulative movie.
What Eye For An Eye’s Netflix Success Means For The Movie
Audiences Are Finding Something To Enjoy 29 Years Later
WhenEye for an Eyewas released in 1996,it had a modest performance at the box office, similar to its standing as eighth onNetflix’s Global Top 10 movies. The film debuted at No. 3 at the box office during its opening weekend, earning approximately $7.8 million, and went on to make $26.9 million domestically during its theatrical run against its $20 million budget. While not a major hit by any means, it performed reasonably well for a mid-budget crime thriller.
It seems audiences are rediscovering, and perhaps reinterpreting this divisive film.
Eye for an Eye’s success on Netflix means that, 29 years later, audiences are finding something to enjoy about the film. Evidenced by its 55% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, which is still considered Rotten, audiences do have a more favorable view of the film compared to critics.Its success on Netflix is mostly limited to Latin America and the Caribbean, where the film likely wasn’t released in theaters in 1996.
PerhapsEye for an Eyeis resonating with these viewers in ways it didn’t with domestic audiences in 1996. Nevertheless, crime andrevenge thrillersdo remain wildly popular, or perhaps the presence of Sally Field is enough to intrigue audiences. Whatever the reason, it seems audiences are rediscovering, and perhaps reinterpreting this divisive film.
Eye for an Eye
Cast
Eye For An Eye is a 1996 crime thriller directed by John Schlesinger. The film stars Sally Field as Karen McCann, who seeks justice after the brutal murder of her daughter. Featuring Kiefer Sutherland as a relentless predator and Ed Harris as Karen’s supportive husband, the narrative explores the moral complexities and emotional turmoil of a mother taking the law into her own hands.
Sally Field
Discover the latest news and filmography for Sally Field, known for Forrest Gump and Steel Magnolias.
