White of the Eye

Brutal violence, Native American mysticism and infidelity collide in Donald Cammell's visually impressive and often dizzying thriller, which gets a long-awaited release through Arrow Films.

When a brutal killer strikes an isolated desert community, a young wife (Cathy Moriarty) starts to have doubts about the man that she married (David Keith). Despite some lurid murder sequences and inventive camera work, this is closer to Peter Weir than Argento. Lingering shots of vast desert landscapes and suggestions of dark primal influences, along with a soundtrack from Pink Floyd's Nick Mason, help sustain a haunting atmosphere where things are not quite what they seem.

Cammell gets some great performances from his two leads in particular. If the narrative jumps are occasionally a little disorientating, Moriarty's grounded, imperfect Joan brings focus. A disappointingly contrived climax slightly mars things, but this is an unashamedly cerebral film that deserves to be discovered. [Scott McKellar]