Red Eye (2005)

A woman is kidnapped by a stranger on a routine flight. Threatened by the potential murder of her father, she is pulled into a plot to assist her captor in a political assassination.

Director:

Wes Craven

Writers:

Carl Ellsworth (screenplay), Carl Ellsworth (story)

Stars:

Rachel McAdams, Cillian Murphy, Brian Cox

2 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rachel McAdams	...	Lisa Reisert
Cillian Murphy	...	Jackson Rippner
Brian Cox	...	Joe Reisert
Laura Johnson	...	Blonde Woman
Max Kasch	...	Headphone Kid
Jayma Mays	...	Cynthia
Angela Paton	...	Nice Lady
Suzie Plakson	...	Senior Flight Attendant
Jack Scalia	...	Charles Keefe
Terry Press	...	Marianne Taylor (as Teresa Press-Marx)
Robert Pine	...	Bob Taylor
Carl Gilliard	...	Taxi Driver
Mary Kathleen Gordon	...	Airline Representative (as Mary-Kathleen Gordon)
Loren Lester	...	Irate Passenger
Philip Pavel	...	Dallas Ticket Agent

Storyline

This is the story of a young resourceful heroine named Lisa Reisert who hates to fly, but the terror that awaits her on the night flight to Miami has nothing to do with a fear of flying! Upon boarding the plane, Lisa is trapped on a red-eye flight with a creepy villainous handsome and charming man by the name of Jackson Rippner, who's playing middle-man in the plot to assassinate a Homeland Security official. He's got her father pinned down by a would-be killer, using that advantage to coerce Lisa into phoning the luxury resort where she works and arranging to move the target into a pre-set position.

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Plot Keywords:

flight | hotel manager | hotel | airport | plane | 

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Taglines:

Fear Takes Flight

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Genres:

Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some intense sequences of violence, and language

Did You Know?

Trivia

As mentioned by Wes Craven in the "making of", the lady that plays the irate customer in the beginning and end of the film was cast after Craven met her at a board meeting. He had a feeling that she would make an excellent irate customer from her persona, walked up to her after the meeting, and asked her to be in his movie. She eventually agreed.

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Goofs

When Lisa is telling Cynthia to get all of the special items for Keefe's room, Cynthia asks if he's "Platinum Club", implying that she doesn't know who he is or how important he is. Later, however, when Lisa wants to switch his room, Cynthia says, "But he always stays in that room," making it seem like she does know about Keefe.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Marianne Taylor: Taylor. Bob and Marianne Taylor.
Cynthia: Just bear with me one second.
Marianne Taylor: There are other hotels in Miami.
Cynthia: I'm sorry.
Marianne Taylor: What is the problem? We made these reservations over six months ago.
Cynthia: I know, ma'am, I'm just not seeing it.
Marianne Taylor: Well, where's Lisa? Lisa always takes care of us.
Cynthia: I know, ma'am. She's out of town. Her grandmother passed away.
Bob Taylor: Cynthia, is it?
[...]

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Connections

References Final Destination (2000)

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Soundtracks

Parasite
Written by Tom Mesmer
Performed by Soho Vamp

User Reviews

Nice Surprise

On an overnight flight from Los Angeles to Miami, Lisa Reisert (Rachel McAdams) meets a charming man who turns out to be a hired killer who demands her help killing a businessman or else her own father will die.

Red Eye is a terrific thriller that keeps the audience on the edge of their seats. The premise is similar to Cellular and Phone Booth but Red Eye is better than both of those films. Almost everything about Red Eye is above average including the suspense, the acting and the direction. Most of the film does take place on a plane but that doesn't slow down the movie. The film is very fast pace and exciting with no slow or boring spots. Wes Craven does a really good job behind the camera. Instead of focusing on the thrills, he focuses on the story and the characters. The movie does have its share of suspenseful moments but that's not what the film is really about. I also like the way Wes Craven focuses on the other passengers and the small details that become important later on. Red Eye really shows his skills at storytelling.

Red Eye also works well because of its young and talented cast. Rachel McAdams gives a very engaging performance and her character is hard to hate. You may even end up cheering for her out loud. Cillian Murphy gives a very creepy and effective performance as the villain. The way he acts charming at first but then turns psycho is especially impressive. The supporting actors are also pretty good which include Brain Cox and Jayma Mays.

The movie is also very stylish and it has this overall creepy vibe to it. The setting works well since there is an obvious fear of isolation and no escape. Overall, the tone of the film is consistently creepy. The screenplay isn't as strong as everything else though. There are a few unrealistic moments that may distract the viewer. Most of them didn't bother me but there were of few that left me shaking my head. Also, the ending is disappointing. It isn't a bad ending just a very simple one and a different approach would have been better. Since the movie focuses on the characters, there is really no scream moments maybe just a few jumps. If you expect a horror movie then you will end up disappointed. In the end, Red Eye is an engaging thriller and it's one of the best movies of the summer. Rating 8/10

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Russian

Release Date:

19 August 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

Don't Airport

Filming Locations:

Continuum At South Beach - 100 South Pointe Drive, Miami Beach, Florida, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$26,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$16,167,662, 21 August 2005

Gross USA:

$57,891,803

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$96,258,201

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dreamworks Pictures, BenderSpink, Craven-Maddalena Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1