“The Girl from the Naked Eye”
Year: 2012
Director: David Ren
Stars: Jason Yee, Samantha Streets, Ron Yuan
Studio: Naedomi Entertainment
MPAA Rating: R
Running Time: 84 Mins.
When I first heard about “The Girl from the Naked Eye”, it instantly caught my interest. The film had an interesting concept with a story that comes out of a film noir world mixed in with the action coming out of a martial arts film.
The film follows Jake (Jason Yee), an ex gambler who trying to pay off a debut. He drives around call girls and beats up the customers that don’t pay. Jake lives in a sad existence until he meets Sandy (Samantha Streets), who is innocent misguided runaway. The two form a bond that gives them both the will to strive for a better life. Everything is shattered, when Jake finds Sandy dead on floor. Now his only purpose in life is to find her killer and exact his revenge. The film also features appearances from Sasha Grey (The Girlfriend Experience) and Dominique Swain (Face/Off).
I caught “The Girl from the Naked Eye”, when it briefly played in theaters. Normally films of this kind never reached my area, because my local theater usually has two or three movies that need two or even three screens because of the dreaded 3D format. I didn’t think that I would enjoy, as much as I did. But I did.
One of the film’s strong points was David Ren’s direction. I liked how, he does a very good job making the film’s scenery dark. It’s done that way, so that the film has a film noir feel to it. If this film felt like a standard crime film with action mixed in, then the feel of the film would have been totally different. The other thing that I liked about the direction was the way that the acting was good. I like how, Ren does a very good job making the performances feel like it was straight out a classic film noir movie, considering that it leans more towards the action genre than film noir. He gets very good performances from newcomer Jason Yee and actress Samantha Street. The chemistry between the two actors is very good and helped make the dramatic parts work. If the chemistry between the two didn’t work, then this could have been very boring while you’re waiting for the action scenes.
The action in this film was very good and sometimes off the wall. Ren with action director Ron Yuan (who also plays the slimy prostitution ring leader Simon in the film) did a very good job with the way that they handled the action sequences. I liked how they carefully planned the stunts and fight sequences. They were enjoyable, as they were action packed and filled with adrenaline. It blends with the film noir story very well.
Ren along with screenwriters Yee and Larry Mandill did a very good job in creating something original. I liked how they came up with the concept of the film. They go for more of a “Sin City” vibe with the way that they tell the story. It makes the film’s story and the main character interesting. The other thing that the writers do very well was the way that they handled the backstory of the film. It is done in a way that you’re interested in the main character and the relationship that he has with the dead prostitute. If that didn’t work, then this would be a different film.
“The Girl from the Naked Eye” blend elements for various film noirs, while provide some high octane fight sequences. This film is worth a Redbox or Netflix rental. You’ll enjoy it.
Review Rating: Four Stars.
