Kiefer Sutherland frightened Chuck E. Cheese patrons after Eye for an Eye

Last Updated on August 24, 2023

If you thought the animatronic rats, chickens and bloodhounds that could break out in song – or revolt – at any time were the scariest part of Chuck E. Cheese, then you never encountered Kiefer Sutherland inside of one. It didn’t help that he had just starred as a rapist and murderer in 1996’s Eye for an Eye.

Speaking at the Fan Expo Chicago (via Entertainment Weekly) over the weekend, Kiefer Sutherland recalled his experience in public soon after playing Robert Dobbs, the man who goes unconvicted after killing Sally Field’s daughter in Eye for an Eye. “After Eye for an Eye opened, I took my daughter, who was eight years old, into Chuck E. Cheese…I’ve never seen parents leave a place so fast with their children in my life. My daughter actually thought I’d rented the place for just us. Because within 10 minutes, everybody was gone. I was mortified by that, and she was just in the ball section playing be herself, just having the time of her life.”

Kiefer Sutherland added that that’s just part of what comes with being a good actor sometimes, saying, “There’s a great sense of responsibility when you take on that part, and you have to lean into it, and you know people are going to hate you for it. I think that’s a credit to the fact that we make movies that people really believe are real. They’re not. But people do believe they’re real.”

Directed by John Schlesinger, Eye for an Eye finds Sally Field haunted by Kiefer Sutherland’s character, who roams free and begins tormenting her and her family. While panned upon release, I’ve always found Sutherland’s performance to be downright nasty, easily ranking among his most underappreciated. The cast also includes Ed Harris, Joe Mantegna and Beverly D’Angelo.

Kiefer Sutherland’s calendar is looking pretty strong, as The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial (William Friedkin’s final film) will play at the Venice Film Festival and he has a role in what is poised to be Clint Eastwood’s last go as director, Juror #2.

Are you a fan of Eye for an Eye? Where would you rank it among Kiefer Sutherland’s performances?