Eagle Eye (C+ or 2.5/4 stars)
Jerry Shaw & Rachel Holloman (Shia LaBeouf, Michelle Monaghan) are 2 strangers bothered by a mysterious phone call from a woman they've never met in 'Eagle Eye', directed by D.J. Caruso. With threats to both their lives & their families, the duo is hurdled into a labyrinthine plot; full of dangerous situations, where using the technology of today (ATMs, iPods, GPS, PCs & cell phones) can track and/or control your every single move. Are they really bad? Are they tied to an assassination attempt of the POTUS? Are they being framed by terrorists? Or none of the above? You find out in this slick, speedy, exciting, but overbearing, overloud, & occasionally opaque action flick.
The film opens with a bang. A gaggle of military heads (including a great Michael Chiklis as Defense Secretary) are trying to decide whether or not to eliminate an unconfirmed terrorist target (intel lists the man as a 51% match). Destruction occurs, and we are then introduced to Jerry Shaw as he's playing cards with some co-workers at his copy store. A lazy Stanford drop-out, Jerry gets the unfortunate word that his successful twin brother was killed in a car accident. This leads to a poignant funeral scene. So by this point in the movie, we're invested.
One day, Jerry stops at an ATM machine & discovers that there's $750,000 in his account! Stunned & confused, he gets home to his apartment only to find it chock full of various bomb-making kits & illegal weapons. His answers his cell phone and hears a mysterious woman's voice giving him precise instructions (i.e., get out in under 30 seconds or the feds will arrest you; jump off of this ledge, etc.). Meanwhile, Rachel, a single mom spending a night on the town, gets a similar phone call from the same woman. This time, she tells Rachel that unless she follows her instructions, her son's train (he's on his way to D.C.) will be derailed. Events occur which bring Jerry & Rachel together. For the next hour & a half, these 2 go on a mayhemic trip; doing whatever the female voice tells them.
The female voice is actually an elaborate computer system named ARIA. 'She' has the power to control electron devices all around the world; changing street lights at whim; getting Jerry & Rachel where they need to go with pin-point precision, and without getting a scratch. Or can she? Can they defy danger, the feds, AND complete 'her' task at hand? What of Rachels' son? What part does he play in all of this?
The 1st 20 min. of this movie are superb. I enjoyed how Caruso sets-up his main characters, their initial meeting, & the first thrilling action sequence. And the biometric scanner that is used for identity matching is awesome. But while I love political intrigue; and though I appreciate cautionary tales (how technology can control all networks, infringe on privacy, & contain limitless power) ... this film doesn't evolve. Loud music, booming noises, frenetic camera movements, & constant cell phone calls make-up A LOT of the screenplay. Initial suspense & engrossment gives way to a series of chaotic chase scenes (interrupted by carbon copy slow scenes). I think Rachel & Jerry had the same conversation twice; once on a train, & later on a plane. I think I wouldn't have had as much of a problem as I do if the quieter dialogue-driven scenes provided deeper exposition. Everything being said was obvious; leaving little to no room for contemplation.
Shia LaBeouf is fine, here. I get that he's one of the more promising young stars out right now. But he hasn't stretched himself in any movie I've seen him in, yet. Disturbia, Transformers, Indiana Jones 4 ... he gets in trouble, looks (believably) panicked, and runs. Don't get me wrong, the kid does it well; I'm just not bowled over. Michelle Monaghan? She's a decent actress, and she sure is cute. But she's also 9 yrs. older than LaBeouf, so any chemistry btwn. them feels forced. Supporting performances by Billy Bob Thornton & Rosario Dawson are elementary. I think I'm most disappointed that the ending of the film couldn't measure up to much of the beginning & (to a lesser extent) the middle. Overall, 'Eagle Eye' IS a mostly fun, if dumb-ish blockbuster.
The film opens with a bang. A gaggle of military heads (including a great Michael Chiklis as Defense Secretary) are trying to decide whether or not to eliminate an unconfirmed terrorist target (intel lists the man as a 51% match). Destruction occurs, and we are then introduced to Jerry Shaw as he's playing cards with some co-workers at his copy store. A lazy Stanford drop-out, Jerry gets the unfortunate word that his successful twin brother was killed in a car accident. This leads to a poignant funeral scene. So by this point in the movie, we're invested.
One day, Jerry stops at an ATM machine & discovers that there's $750,000 in his account! Stunned & confused, he gets home to his apartment only to find it chock full of various bomb-making kits & illegal weapons. His answers his cell phone and hears a mysterious woman's voice giving him precise instructions (i.e., get out in under 30 seconds or the feds will arrest you; jump off of this ledge, etc.). Meanwhile, Rachel, a single mom spending a night on the town, gets a similar phone call from the same woman. This time, she tells Rachel that unless she follows her instructions, her son's train (he's on his way to D.C.) will be derailed. Events occur which bring Jerry & Rachel together. For the next hour & a half, these 2 go on a mayhemic trip; doing whatever the female voice tells them.
The female voice is actually an elaborate computer system named ARIA. 'She' has the power to control electron devices all around the world; changing street lights at whim; getting Jerry & Rachel where they need to go with pin-point precision, and without getting a scratch. Or can she? Can they defy danger, the feds, AND complete 'her' task at hand? What of Rachels' son? What part does he play in all of this?
The 1st 20 min. of this movie are superb. I enjoyed how Caruso sets-up his main characters, their initial meeting, & the first thrilling action sequence. And the biometric scanner that is used for identity matching is awesome. But while I love political intrigue; and though I appreciate cautionary tales (how technology can control all networks, infringe on privacy, & contain limitless power) ... this film doesn't evolve. Loud music, booming noises, frenetic camera movements, & constant cell phone calls make-up A LOT of the screenplay. Initial suspense & engrossment gives way to a series of chaotic chase scenes (interrupted by carbon copy slow scenes). I think Rachel & Jerry had the same conversation twice; once on a train, & later on a plane. I think I wouldn't have had as much of a problem as I do if the quieter dialogue-driven scenes provided deeper exposition. Everything being said was obvious; leaving little to no room for contemplation.
Shia LaBeouf is fine, here. I get that he's one of the more promising young stars out right now. But he hasn't stretched himself in any movie I've seen him in, yet. Disturbia, Transformers, Indiana Jones 4 ... he gets in trouble, looks (believably) panicked, and runs. Don't get me wrong, the kid does it well; I'm just not bowled over. Michelle Monaghan? She's a decent actress, and she sure is cute. But she's also 9 yrs. older than LaBeouf, so any chemistry btwn. them feels forced. Supporting performances by Billy Bob Thornton & Rosario Dawson are elementary. I think I'm most disappointed that the ending of the film couldn't measure up to much of the beginning & (to a lesser extent) the middle. Overall, 'Eagle Eye' IS a mostly fun, if dumb-ish blockbuster.