Eagle Eye (2008)

Directed by: DJ Caruso | 118 minutes | action, thriller | Actors: Shia LaBeouf, Michelle Monaghan, Rosario Dawson, Anthony Mackie, Billy Bob Thornton, Jeff Albertson, Anthony Azizi, Steve Barrons, Tommy Bartlett, Cameron Boyce, Michael Bretten, G. Larry Butler, Charles Carroll, Michael Daniel Cassady, Michael Chiklis , Lynn Cohen

DJ Caruso, Steven Spielberg, and Shia LaBeouf. A “match made in heaven”? Judging by the intense, kinetic action thriller ‘Eagle Eye’, this seems to be the case for a while. The pace is high, the acting and dialogues are natural and witty, there is a lot of spectacle and the content is stimulating. It’s also no surprise that this trio – director, writer/final producer, and actor – work so well together. Previously, Shia LaBeouf has already proven that he can come into his own under the leadership of both men – with Caruso in ‘Disturbia’ and Spielberg in ‘Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull’. But Caruso and Spielberg also seem to have the same interests in terms of content, and they like a healthy dose of social criticism in films that are primarily intended to entertain a large audience. And despite a somewhat disappointing second half, ‘Eagle Eye’ has succeeded quite nicely in these goals.

The film immediately starts at full speed. A column of jeeps in which an important Afghan terrorist is believed to be is being observed from a distance by the US defense. Via a kind of toy plane, that is, that is thrown off a mountain and has a camera on board. Maybe not very likely, but entertaining nonetheless. And then comes the moral dilemma: there is 51% certainty that this is the man they are looking for. These kinds of issues are interesting in principle, but the chance of a mistake and of major adverse consequences in this case is so great that there really should be no doubt. But of course America is at fault here, which may be the source of the problems that Jerry Shaw (LaBeouf) and Rachelle Holloman (Monaghan) will soon face. Following the U.S. military’s brash action—the insubtleness of which is emphasized by the instant appearance of the film’s title after the blast—Jerry Shaw is introduced smoothly and amusingly, with unsophisticated dialogue and convincing acting. However, an important theme is introduced here almost casually when Jerry asks his poker buddies: “What’s it going to be? Are you boys or men?”. Jerry will have to ask himself this question very quickly, when he is faced with major decisions and ends up in life-threatening situations. And his life changes practically overnight. Suddenly he has $750,000 in the bank, and chests full of weapons have been delivered to his small apartment. This doesn’t seem to happen much later, but it helps to get Jerry moving – and to bring a lot of tension and anticipation into the story. As in ‘The Matrix’ and, most recently, ‘Wanted’, the humble lead character, with little excitement in his life, is snatched from his daily routine by an anonymous caller who suddenly finds him in a world of threats, pursuits, and general chaos pours. And seemingly all directed by this one caller.

This last aspect becomes a bit difficult to accept when the caller can seemingly calculate every little thing – that Jerry and Rachelle can just keep driving after a huge collision at an intersection, that when their car is picked up by a crane, they don’t get impaled by the gripping arm, or that a slackening electrical cable lands exactly on the intended victim. Although the mantra for the makers during production was “Keep it real”, as the press material shows, it is precisely the lack of the sense of reality that at a certain point makes the investment in the story problematic. It would help a lot if not every attempt by the caller to kill someone or to “help” Jerry and Rachelle would succeed immediately, but fail in the first place and then be the target via another, quickly calculated route. realised. A topic that features heavily in ‘Eagle Eye’ and which has previously played an important role in Spielberg’s ‘Minority Report’ and DJ Caruso’s ‘Disturbia’ is all-controlling and regulating technology and invasion of privacy. However, in ‘Minority Report’ this provided interesting context for an sci-fi thriller – for example, Tom Cruise’s character in that film, after having someone else’s eyes implanted, walks into a department store, where he is immediately scanned and spoken to by a computer voice. addressed as mr. Yukamoto and him offers are made based on Yukamoto’s preferences. In ‘Eagle Eye’ this subject is less present as a context or footnote, but it is a bit thicker, with a literal explanation towards the end of the film about how each citizen’s data is collected and used for advertising purposes. Or more seriously, to keep an eye on everyone and listen in on conversations in case sensitive information is discussed. This last element also emerged as an “indictment” in ‘The Bourne Ultimatum’, a film in which everyone was scanned and people were discharged through dangerous situations via mobile phones. Yet all this, although not very new anymore, remains fascinating and oppressive for a while in the action context of ‘Eagle Eye’.

However, the fact that one person has all the electronics in the city at his disposal and can manipulate it for bad purposes loses its fascination a bit faster. This is partly because, as discussed earlier, it is gradually becoming more and more unbelievable. In addition, because the viewer has seen this several times before – in the series “24”, for example, but also in ‘Die Hard 4′ – , and because the identity of the person ultimately responsible and his motivation are slightly disappointing. Everything ultimately contributes to the message that this fantastic technology being poured out on humanity can have bad consequences and backfire. That communication and society will not become more efficient and safer, but the opposite. And that we should always use our common sense.

Okay, so it’s all less deep or intriguing than it might have been, but ‘Eagle Eye’ is still a compelling action thriller in its own right, with good action and strong actors. In addition to an ever-reliable Shia LaBeouf and Michelle Monaghan, there’s an amusing role for Billy Bob Thornton who can spew some of the wittiest one-liners in the film, but ultimately doesn’t have much influence on the story and is a little behind the times. Rosario Dawson has a small but welcome role as the Secretary of Defense’s representative, but more fun is the even smaller role of Lynn Cohen, as Jerry’s slightly petulant but charming landlady, who keeps asking him for rent whenever he comes over. Cohen, who previously played Prime Minister Golda Mier in ‘Munich’, knows how to give this stereotypical role something extra with her dry comments and facial expressions. The dialogue is, as already mentioned, usually nice and casual, and there is also enough attention for the main characters themselves. Only the development moments between Jerry and Rachelle sometimes feel a bit forced and ill-timed. Of course, life-threatening situations draw you closer together and you have to mature faster, but it is sometimes just a bit too (quickly) moralizing or intimate, with the usual Spielbergian emphasis on family values ​​clearly present again. It shouldn’t spoil the fun. ‘Eagle Eye’ is a nice smooth and entertaining film, with nice characters, intense action that splashes off the screen, stirring music, and some (attempts at) depth and social criticism. Barring the relative anticlimax, ‘Eagle Eye’ guarantees a good dose of excitement and entertainment.