Eagle Eye
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Movie Reviews of Eagle Eye
Movie Review: Action packed and leaves you breathless throughout the whole movie!
Summary: 4 Stars
I watched this movie at the $1.50 theater yesterday and all I can say was I was at the edge of my seat throughout the movie thinking about what is going to happen next to Jerry Shaw (Sia LaBeouf) and Rachel Holloman (Michelle Monaghan). They are randomly brought together by a strange 'voice' who calls them on their cell phone and tells them to follow its instructions or they die (in Rachel's case it is her son). The FBI is after Jerry (especially an agent played by Billy Bob Thorton) because they suspect that he is involved in terrorist activity because of all the stuff found in his apartment and the $751,000 wired into his bank account. It was cool how all that money spit out of the ATM machine although that is very unrealistic since ATM's give a maximum of $400 per day. Jerry makes the terrible mistake of taking the money instead of going to the police, although I can understand why he did it.
Anyway the story starts of with the US army launching a missile at a small village in Afghanistan that the president orders because he says that there is about a 60% probability that a dangerous terrorist is there. A lot of innocent civilians die, and this strengthens the terrorists cause and they hack into the power grids and traffic cams in the US. There are tons of high speed chases, deadly car crashes, shootings, and action in the airplane that the audience is breathless and doesn't know what will happen the next minute. I enjoyed the budding romance between Jerry Shaw and Rachel Holloman as they work together to try and get away from the voice. Later in the movie (without spoiling the plot) we see that Rachel becomes very emotionally attached to Jerry when the voice asks her to make a major decision. Also the audience is trying to guess who on earth is that female voice who is causing all this hell for the both of them, and if it is just one person. As you watch the movie you will be startled/shocked by the answer and what you learn.
I give this movie 4.5 stars because my only qualm was the movie was a little more than 2 hours long and the stylized action with the trucks/cars crashing made me a little squeamish. I strongly recommend caution and parental guidance for children seeing this dramatic action movie.
Movie Review: Fast Paced Thriller with a Sappy Ending
Summary: 4 Stars
EAGLE EYE is not a great movie but it is an entertaining one. Granted, leaving reason at the door is a prerequisite to plugging into the plot, but the style of the film and the premise that in the midst of all of our government's supposedly first class intelligence agencies such amazing programs can be staged opens the window for some speculation. Credit writers John Glenn, Travis Wright, Hillary Seitz and Dan McDermott for pushing the button on current cellphone obsession tied to terrorism to an all time high. And with director D.J. Caruso at the helm the whole preposterous (but entertaining) tale comes vividly to life.
Jerry Shaw (Shia LaBeouf) is a free-living disappointment to his father and at the funeral of Jerry's twin brother Ethan the tables turn. Somehow Jerry's little apartment is filled with guns and ammo and a mysterious female telephone voice on his cellphone warns him to escape the impending FBI entry. Jerry is clueless as to the appearance of the weaponry and when taken into custody Agent Thomas Morgan (Billy Bob Thornton) accuses him of collusion with his probable terrorist twin brother, now deceased. Jerry escapes but is 'followed' by the constant orders from his cellphone that lead to dangerous circumstances. On the other side of the city a working mother Rachel (Michelle Monaghan) receives equally strange cellphone calls threatening to murder her child if he does not do the voice's bidding. Obviously Jerry and Rachel are joined in this duo adventure and the manner in which they resolve the clues on the run closely pursued by Agent Morgan, Zoe Perez (Rosario Dawson) et al drives the story to its conclusion.
The movie is bogged down with far too many car chases and absurd crashes and disasters, but the idea of terrorism in a new guise is an interesting one. But for all the tense mood of the movie, the audience is doused with a syrupy sentimental ending which all but negates the adrenalin flow the film had. LaBeouf and Monaghan make an interesting coupling, given the little dialog they have to create fleshed out characters. Not a great movie, but not a bad movie for thriller fans. Grady Harp, January 09
Movie Review: Too hot for Hal
Summary: 4 Stars
The U. S. Government now has a super computer capable of accessing every electronic device ever invented and can conduct even through liquid when push comes to shove. Its super duper computer spy network is called "Eagle Eye," and it means something more powerful than Big Brother is watching. It is a she and she is wired/programed/processed/evolved to go beyond the confines of her gold globes and her 36 floors underground below the Pentagon.
Early on, Jerry Shaw (Shia LaBoeuf) is forced to follow Eagle Eye's orders, as is Michelle Monagham's character. The early chase scene in which they are involved put me on my feet from wildly choreographed car collisions, and the whirligig cranes were beyond believable, creating pure adrenaline rushes.
All the impossible machinations controlled by Eagle Eye are just too incredible to be vaguely believable. On the other hand, remember Hal? "2001: Space Odyssey" was uniquely far-fetched, too. A computer that would kill all the astronauts but one and take control of the spacecraft? We accepted that premise, didn't we? It's not much different with Eagle Eye, except her power is inordinately more powerful.
As for the ending that meets with disagreement in some of these reviews, my question is: Why not that ending? What we thought was the ending is not in keeping with the powerhouse story. It would be anti-climatic.
Special kudos go to Rosario Dawson and Michael Chiklis, both of whom lend credence to the story. As for Billy Bob Thornton, his pancake makeup was so thick as to be the most laughable part of the story! A high-ranking FBI agent wearing all that makeup! Now that's unbelievable!
If you are looking for a message, consider the potentially dangerous power of a super computer gone rogue. Do we even know if the government has a super computer?
Even if you can't concede Eagle Eye's all-pervasive powers, just grumble over the premise, then relax, and enjoy the non-stop action. Actually, there is no relaxing in this film. Buckle in and get ready for non-stop thrills.
Movie Review: "Disobey, and you die."
Summary: 4 Stars
Shia LeBeouf continues his quest to become the new action star with "Eagle Eye," a movie that reteams him with his "Disturbia" director (D.J. Caruso). He plays Jerry Shaw, a ne'er do well who works at Copy Cabana. He's chronically broke and behind on his rent, but he receives a surprise when he uses an ATM - over $700,000 has been deposited into his account. That's just the beginning, though; when he returns home, he has received numerous deliveries to his small apartment. As he goes through the boxes, he's shocked that they contain guns and other suspicious items. That's when he receives the first call from a mysterious female caller; she tells him to flee the scene or else he'll be captured by the FBI. The rest of the film unfolds with the female caller dictating Jerry's moves and involves a dead twin brother, a sexy mother, and Billy Bob Thornton, among other oddities.
"Eagle Eye" is about what you would expect from a mid-level thriller. There are some very good action scenes, particularly one involving a plane that tails Jerry's car into a tunnel. LeBeouf is a likeable enough protagonist, and the movie has some nice twists. There are also some clever scenes involving the female caller seeming to be omniscient and having unbelievable powers to control electronic items. At the same time, the movie isn't very believable and does require a hefty suspension of disbelief. It also cribs shamelessly from a number of other movies, including "Enemy of the State" and a dozen Hitchcock flicks. However, if you want a mindless popcorn thriller, then you'll probably enjoy this movie.
Movie Review: It's watching!
Summary: 4 Stars
The concept of this movie is interesting. Take a movie like The Lives of Others. Now, instead of humans running the show, imagine if you will a giant supercomputer that is spying over all the denizens of the United States. It will do anything to preserve National Security - and what defines National Security is up to its own interpretation.
This is an AI film that follows in the footsteps of Colossus - The Forbin Project and War Games (25th Anniversary Edition). As such, it warns of the dangers of becoming too dependent on technology to maintain our way of life. To complicate matters further, the computer is endowed with the murky & anti-Constitutional power of Dubya's Patriot Act. That is to say, it feels that it is free to annihilate any person it sees as a threat to National Security. For this computer, a person's Miranda Rights are about as relevant as piccolos are to a marching band.
This is a well done adventure film that doesn't make much sense at first, but makes much more sense as the film moves along. For people who are die-hard advocates of the Patriot Act, it might (just MIGHT!) make them take pause.