Mun (Angelica Lee) is a young woman who has been blind since she was two years old. A cornea replacement surgery offers hope of being able to see. But once Mun's vision is restored, she gets more than she bargained for. She is bombarded with images of places and people that don't quite seem right. Mun sees ghosts. But that's not the worst of it. When presented with a picture of herself, Mun realizes that the image in the picture is not the same woman she sees when she looks in the mirror.

The first half or so of The Eye is an incredibly creepy little film. There are moments like the elevator scene or the first time we see what Mun sees in the mirror that had me sitting on the edge of my seat. It's all very nicely handled. But the film switches its narrative tone about half way through much to its detriment. The Eye goes from being a subtle, effective horror film to being a special effects extravaganza. The Pang Brothers appear to have the same problem ending a movie that a lot of Hollywood filmmakers seem to have – if you can't come up with an ending, blow something up. Had the movie ended when Mun discovered the secret of her new eyes, it would have been a better movie and worthy of a higher rating.

The acting in The Eye is as good as I've seen in a modern Asian horror film. I've only seen Angelica Lee in one other film (Koma),but she's quickly become a real favorite of mine. The two roles I've seen her play are vastly different yet Lee handles each in a believable, very enjoyable way.

While The Eye may not be the best Asian horror film I've seen, the first half makes it more than a worthwhile watch. I'm looking forward to getting a chance to see The Eye 2.

Wong Kar Mun went blind at the age of two, 18 years later she undergoes a cornea transplant that appears to be a success. Unfortunately that success comes with a terrifying side-effect; the ability to see unhappy ghosts.

Gin Gwai (The Eye) is directed by the Pang brothers Oxide and Danny and stars Angelica Lee (Mun) and Lawrence Chou (Dr.Wah) as the two main principals.

No matter what source of reference you use for film reviews, one thing that can be guaranteed as regards Gin Gwai is how divided people are on it. One of the few things that most tend to agree on though is that it's visual flourishes are nothing short of fantastic. And they are. Blended with the editing, music, sound, camera-work and the effects, it therefore fuels the fire of those calling it style over substance. It's also fair to drop onside with those folk decrying the over familiarity with its central themes. If you have seen Irvin Kershner's The Eyes Of Laura Mars, Michael Apted's Blink and M. Night Shyamalan's The Sixth Sense, well you wont be watching anything thematically new here. But the Pang brothers have crafted a thoroughly engrossing, menacing and nerve gnawer of a film, one that delivers chills and scares for the discerning horror sub-genre fan.

Here's the crux of the matter with Gin Gwai, it is the opposite side of the Asian horror coin to the likes of the blood letting Audition. This is pure and simply for those not in need of murder death kill to fulfil their horror needs. I was creeped out immensely by this film because the ghost and supernatural side of horror is what really works for me, as long as it is done effectively. To which Gin Gwai most assuredly is. The various scenes shift from ethereal unease to hold your breath terror, from classrooms to lifts, to hospital wards, the brothers Pang, with beautiful technical expertise, held me over a precipice of dread. Even the opening credits are inventive and have the ability to send a cautionary shiver down ones spine. There's a barely formed, and pointless, romantic angle that marks it down a point, but as the blistering (literally) last quarter assaults the senses and so does the time for reflection arrive. Gin Gwai ends up being one of this decades best horror pictures. Well to me at least. 9/10

Another in the new wave of Asian horror which has been wowing foreign audiences in recent years, this follows in the same tradition as RING and DARK WATER in being a subtle, slow-paced and relatively gore-free suspense offering in which the atmosphere is emphasised over more traditional shock moments. The story of the formerly blind girl who sees dead people is nothing new – and most probably a spin on THE SIXTH SENSE – but the film's strength is in the original direction from the Pang brothers, who do more with their camera and characters than most Hollywood directors.

This is a film that feels fresh and punchy, despite the slowness of the unfolding plot, and it's partly driven by a driving score that keeps the adrenaline going. The first 2/3 of the film sees Mun recovering her vision and at the same time witnessing some distinctively spooky events – a cold woman floating down the hospital corridor, a suicide boy looking for his report card. So far so good. The finale becomes a driven mystery as Mun, confused by strange visions, explores the background of her donor and finds history repeating itself as she strives to stop a terrible accident from taking place (a very similar situation to the climax of THE MOTHMAN PROPHECIES).

The element which makes this film stand out is the emotion. All of the characters are very well-rounded and the dialogue is very true to life – painfully so in some instances. The film deals with the topics of death and suicide in mature ways and the attitudes of the characters are extremely well acted. Angelica Lee is wonderful in the leading role, really fleshing out the character of Mun, and the various supports are also excellent in dealing with the serious tone of the film as a whole. There are some stand-out scares (apple-core face in the elevator) and weird bits (the licking ghosts) and even bits that feel like GHOST (Ying Ying being led away). The only let-down in the movie is some dodgy CGI effects work, but again that flaw is seemingly ubiquitous in today's cinematic world. The film's one grisly moment is used in a survey of burnt bodies, but the gore is used for impact and emotion rather than gross-out. Well worth checking for those bored of the usual fare.