Angel Eyes
 

Within the first ten minutes of Angel Eyes, police officer Sharon Pogue attempts to save the life of an accident victim. Then, one year later, she meets Catch. It is immediately clear (although not to Pogue and Catch) that Catch was the man in the accident. What is not clear is what happened in the intervening year, and what exactly is wrong with Catch. Catch (Jim Caviezel, Frequency, Pay It Forward) is a shell of man. He lives in an empty apartment, wanders around during the day and his only contact seems to be with a wheelchair bound woman. He buys groceries for her, but every time he comes in, she turns down all the pictures in the house.

Catch saves Sharon (Jennifer Lopez, The Wedding Planner, The Cell) from an armed suspect. His strange mannerisms intrigue her, and before she knows it, they are in a cautious relationship. Catch refuses to divulge any personal information, which highly unnerves Sharon, but she learns to live with it. His simplicity and uniqueness are refreshing to her, so she opens herself up to him. Like Catch, Sharon is troubled. Her relationship with her parents (hey, would that make them The Pogues?) is nearly shattered. She reported her father's abuse of her mother years ago, ripping the family apart. Now, her parents are renewing their vows, which feels like betrayal to Sharon.

The bulk of Gerald DiPego's (Instinct, Message in a Bottle) script deals with Sharon and Catch trying to rebuild their lives together. It is more intelligently written than it initially appears, but still succumbs to typical film shenanigans by the time it ends. What is nice is watching Lopez and Caviezel together. Give Lopez a mic, and she belts out bland dance-pop music. Give her a role, and she switches between inane roles and roles that stretch her ability as an actress. Although there isn't much stretching here, the Sharon role does allow her to show that she can be effective while being subtle. Caviezel has the ability to become a good actor, but he is in dire need of a shave.

The romance between Sharon and Catch is never too believable. She is a policeman, and self-admittedly wary about dating. Her gratefulness to Catch is relatable, but her decision to date him is not. Her character is too headstrong to act the way she does around him. She berates her partner for checking up on Catch, but later does so herself. The only parts that work occur some point in between, when Sharon gently prods for information. Director Luis Mandoki (Message in a Bottle, When a Man Loves a Woman) plays the waiting game, but loses. How long before Mandoki reveals everything? Wait and see. During the wait, the only thing on screen is the budding relationship between Lopez and Caviezel. The two do not have much chemistry together only because of Catch's oddities. For a romance, that is enough to make the film less appealing overall.

Haro Rates It: Okay.
1 hour, 43 minutes, Rated R for strong sexual content, some language, and brief violence.

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