You see, any time Ewan McGregor is featured in a film, no matter how bad the script or the actors surrounding him, the film will prevail, because he is our Ian McEwan from my Scotland, my homeland, but more than this, McGregor is just an incredible talent. Remember him in such great films as Big Fish, Trainspotting, in others ~ he just has a gift and a way about him that few actors have these days.
Here, in Eye of the Beholder (an otherwise completely passable and neutral film), he plays the role of "Lucky Legs" a.k.a. “The Eye” who works for some department of the British Embassy / diplomatic service. McGregor is the typical geek, secret spy, which I can say because I’m one myself am a geek and so can understand this phenomenon, what it means to have the cool and realistic computer and photographic trappings he does have and more, how to use them in a believable way.
McGregor pulls this off seamlessly. He uses computers believably, even at one point connecting to a modem via an inflight telephone through which he runs his credit card, a brilliant trick that I’ll have to try one day because I found it impressive (oh, you already knew that and how to do it, but I had never seen it until this film and was wildly impressed with this one small gesture. I have to admit, for this film, for me anyway, more than the plot it was the gadgets that sold me on it. I just loved the gadgets and who wouldn’t. A camera that looked like a gun with severarl rounds of lens’s that were of different magnifying strengths, a well as an actual gun to be used in emergencies.
I wonder, maybe he’s just too geeky, but wouldn’t he make the James Bond that I want to see? Okay, yes, I’m partial to a boy from the homeland and I’m partial especially to the handsome McGregor with his geeky sex appeal, I admit, as I wrote in The Sex Appeal of the Socratic that appeared in these very pages). There is just something incredibly charming and alluring about a guy who just doesn’t see his own sexiness or smartness or he does see his smartness and struts his brain, but that’s it.
Article comments
1 - sade
didn't i put Ewan? Weird if not, because i am a big fan of boht the author "Ian" (name of ex as well) as well as Ewan, so how i confused is weird, but not surprising. i've recently been having some memory confusion issues due to a seizure disorder, so i appreciate your drawing my attention to this... thanks ~~
S.
2 - dietdoc
Sadi writes: "Worth seeing. Don’t expect much from Judd or the rest of the cast, but do enjoy McGregor in this role and focus on that. "
Reply: I enjoyed the movies. Thanks for the review. Probably leans toward a being a CM (see recent discussion on "Chick Mocies") but definitely has some technology and intrigue that swings the pendulum toward one for the vast masses.
Cheers,
Ron
3 - sade
hey Ron~
interesting. i wouldn't have thought ofthis as a CM, but i'll see recent discussion, (IF you have URL do post it here, or i'll hunt). Sounds interesting.
I like Ewan M. very much and find him an amazing talent, esp. in Trainspotting, though this role suited him. All said though, it's a very "made for TV movie" and no doubt turn up on lifetime or channnel 38 one Sunday afternoon.
Thanks for reading and be well :)
Sadi
4 - dietdoc
Sadi: Do a quick search in the BlogCritic search box above on "Chick" and it should be first on the list. It was actually a very good discussion with some "categories" from DrPat, movie expert extraordinaire.
Cheers,
Ron
5 - sade
thanks Ron ~~ will do that... it sounds interesting and like something i'd want to check out or even write about at some point, though if been done, likely not. Am working on a new review and should be done today, pray pray..
cheers and be well,
sadi
6 - Tan The Man
A lot of people I know hate this movie. I didn't it was bad. Part of me liked it.