I'm relatively new to the work of late Scottish director Donald Cammell, but that's not surprising: he died at age 61 having only completed four feature-length films between 1968 and 1995. Even within that small filmography, 1987's White of the Eye isn't among his most popular efforts. It is, however, one of his most visually interesting and longest, clocking it at 111 minutes despite rarely venturing beyond the confines of its enigmatic Arizona backdrop.

Our story follows Paul White (David Keith, An Officer and a Gentleman), a skilled audio technician who installs high-end systems for high-paying customers. His wife Joan (Cathy Moriarty, Raging Bull) and daughter Danielle (Danielle Smith) attempt to complete what seems like a normal family unit. But something's definitely wrong with this picture: Paul's behavior on and off the job is suspect, and the film opens with a gruesome murder that leads Detective Charles Mendoza (Art Evans, Die Hard 2) to the distinct tires on his pale blue passenger van. But if it's not obvious enough that Paul's mind and marriage are on the rocks, White of the Eye reminds us with stylized flashbacks of "the good old days" when he seduced Joan away from boyfriend Mike DeSantos (Alan Rosenberg, Righteous Kill).

Still, all the shady goings-on during White of the Eye still aren't enough to prepare first-time viewers for the film's third act [SPOILERS], when Paul goes completely off the deep end and nearly kills his wife and daughter in their own home after painting half his face red and (obviously) revealing himself as the man behind the earlier murders [END SPOILERS]. That's both a testament to the film's commitment to visual and psychological insanity, as well as a not-so-subtle criticism of the way it shifts gears for maximum manipulation and shock value. The end result would be more tolerable if large portions of White of the Eye didn't drift by or flow in a confusing---and occasionally irrelevant---manner, not to mention the fact that there's almost no one to root for (even Joan, who makes no shortage of bone-headed decisions about the future of their relationship) and the feeling that parts of it were written during filming.

Still, a little visual flourish goes a long way, and White of the Eye has a lot of visual flourish. From the bleach-bypass flashbacks to creative editing and Steadicam shots, it's obvious that Cammell's film doesn't want to be a typical thriller even before the five-minute mark. While its overuse of eyeball close-ups (get it?) and shoehorned Indian mythology wears thin as our story lurches forward, it's a decent exercise in low-budget filmmaking that has aged fairly well and undoubtedly influenced its fair share of films (while obviously being influenced by a few itself, including The Stepfather). This one's very rough around the edges...but as far as overlooked oddities go, you could do a lot worse.

Those familiar with White of the Eye likely haven't seen it in good shape since the theater, aside from last year's Region B Arrow Blu-ray. Before then, viewing was limited to bootleg VHS tapes and DVDs, rendering the film's visual flourishes almost impossible to appreciate. Thankfully, Shout Factory's new Blu-ray uses the same recent 2K restoration as Arrow's disc, revealing a new layer of detail that most fans will be seeing for the first time (and adding a few fine extras to boot). I can't say it couldn't have happened to a better film, but the effort is appreciated.

Sourced from a new 2K restoration licensed by Arrow Films, this 1.85:1 transfer of White of the Eye is prefaced by text explaining the appearance of its source material; in short, "it's supposed to look this way." A handful of flashbacks during the film underwent a bleach bypass process that gives them a distinct high-contrast appearance with less saturated colors and a higher level of noise and grain (depending on light levels). "Regular" footage, on the other hand, looks natural with a more realistic palette and smoother levels of image detail and texture. As a whole, White of the Eye is designed to be visually jarring at times, so first-time viewers may find themselves more than a little distracted by this seemingly inconsistent---but entirely faithful---presentation of the micro-budget production.

Shout serves up a pair of DTS-HD Master Audio tracks for White of the Eye: the default 5.1 option is a tasteful remix that features occasional support from the rear channels, while the second is a more faithful port of the original two-channel presentation. It's nice to have both options, as each mix features crisp dialogue, well-balanced music cues, and very little in the way of "overcooked effects" that plague most remixes of older productions. Optional English SDH subtitles have been included during the main feature but not the extras.

There's a good mix of stuff here; some is ported from the Region B Arrow Blu-ray, others are exclusive to this disc. The main attraction is a terrific feature-length Audio Commentary with Donald Cammell biographer Sam Umland, who serves up an entertaining and detailed track that fans will enjoy (and if you're on the fence, it might help nudge you over). On a related note are three Featurettes: "Into the White" (11:01) sits down with Steadicam operator Larry McConkey to discuss his traditional (and non-traditional) contributions to the film, "Into the Vortex" (17:51) features a chat with actor Alan Rosenberg [Mike DeSantos], while "Eye of the Detective" (15:36) features actor Art Evans [Detective Mendoza]. In all three cases (the second and third of which are the only exclusives here), the subjects are candid and gracious for the opportunity to have worked with such an unorthodox director.

A handful of odds and ends are also included, all ported from the Arrow disc. Two Deleted Scenes (5:31 total) cut by the film's distributor are interesting to see, as they both revolve around Joan's time away from home; although the original audio has been lost, Cammell biographer Sam Umland once again provides an excellent commentary that places everything in the proper context. We also get a short Alternate Credits Sequence (2:29) and a handful of Bleach Bypass Sequences (11:49) that present all the film's flashbacks in their original, unmodified format.

Although a handful of excellent bonus features from the Arrow disc have unfortunately not been carried over (including the 1998 feature-length documentary Donald Cammell: The Ultimate Performance, Cammell's 1972 short film The Argument, and a collector's booklet), this is still a nice assortment that fans will appreciate.

It's painfully obvious that White of the Eye has a lot going on under the surface; it's far removed from your standard thriller, both in pacing and visual pedigree. But Cannell's micro-budget film is still deeply flawed at times and just flat-out confusing during its insane third act, which gives White of the Eye a "two movies for the price of one" feeling...even if we didn't want the deal. Nonetheless, it has its fair share of fans and the film's rarity on home video will make Shout Factory's new combo pack all the more appealing (providing, of course, that they didn't already pick up the Region B Arrow Blu-ray last year). Featuring a terrific 1080p transfer sourced from Arrow's 2K restoration and a handful of well-rounded extras, it's a solid package for this unusual but often captivating production. Newcomers should rent it first, but there's enough here to make White of the Eye worth a purchase. Recommended.