Red Eye

Every now and then you stumble upon a movie that you've never heard of, but that manages to catch your attention with a plot that's intriguing. In this case, it's about a woman on a late night flight who gets caught up somehow in a plot to assassinate the Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security.

The woman is Lisa (played by Rachel McAdams.) Lisa is the manager of a fancy hotel in Miami where the Deputy Secretary stays when in the city. In the airport, waiting for her flight, Lisa is befriended by Jack (Cillian Murphy.) Jack is a friendly guy, basically seeming to be interested in hitting it off with a pretty woman like Lisa. And yet, it's clear from the start that there's something not quite right with the character; something creepy - even sinister. Murphy did a great job with this character. He, of course, is involved with the plot. His job is to coerce Lisa into using her clout as manager to change the Deputy Secretary's room to on where he'll be more vulnerable.

The whole thing leads up to a pretty exciting last 20-30 minutes, from the point at which Lisa manages to escape from Jack, and it turns into a pretty typical pursuit sort of movie as Jack chases Lisa (and sometimes Lisa chases Jack.) That's standard in a lot of ways, but still pretty well down, and it has you on the edge of your seat from time to time, waiting to see how it will turn out.

Director Wes Craven did a decent job of building the suspense in this. It starts out a bit slowly, but builds magnificently to that very exciting end, and in a lot of ways this has an underlying and very appropriate tongue in cheek feel to it, and it ends on a humorous note, going back to an obnoxious couple staying at the hotel, who are none too pleased that they've been inconvenienced by the assassination attempt. Overall, this is very well done. (7/10)

"Red Eye" is all about Lisa (McAdams) who is simply trying to get home during a bad weather snarl at the airport and finds herself stuck on a red-eye and flying headlong into a suspense drama. A busy, fun little no brainer, "Red Eye" begins like a romcom, morphs into a suspense/action flick, and takes you on a simple-minded but entertaining girl power ride as Lisa races with the clock to save the day. Probably worth the price of a DVD rental, "Red Eye" will play best with fans of rising star McAdams and those who no brain it to avoid it's many nagging plot holes. Keep expectations real for maximum enjoyment. (B-)

Wes Craven's psychological thriller "Red Eye" isn't something we haven't already seen, but the standard format actually generates into a tight, snappy and gripping experience. After breaking away from its vulnerable, claustrophobic intensity. Craven effectively heightens the suspense, for a heart stopping and dazzling last-half potboiler, despite some elaborate and questionable details. This is sure a different mood for Craven, and you probably wouldn't know it was he behind it. Being short and sweet makes the flying time go by in no time. Quantity seems to be replaced with quality, but still this is a streamlined lightweight commercial flight for audiences. The taut premise builds up nicely, because of an always engagingly sharp and sly script. However it does seem to get quite silly, and overstated towards the spontaneous closing. Even the whole set-up is very wishy-washy. One of its driving factors were the profound lead performances. The lovely Rachael McAdams gives a dedicated, headstrong performance. Opposite of her is a sensationally suave, but sinisterly steely Cillian Murphy. The two gelled very well, and their back-and-forth banter was expertly delivered. Veteran actor Brian Cox provides some solidarity, and pleasant support. The cracking music score by Marco Beltrami demonstrates slick panache, and well-timed cues. Craven and his two leads; McAdams and Murphy lift this one up a notch.

I had fun watching Red Eye. It's not a masterpiece, but it's well directed and structured. Cillian Murphy and Rachel McAdams are perfect in the role. Yes, it's the same old story with a different setting but Wes Craven gave it a good pace. At least not another Scream with the usual college killer. It's nice when you can see a clean, coherent thriller even when originality doesn't stand out as its main character. Particularly from a film-maker like Craven that has brought so many innovative ideas to the thriller and horror genre in the past and that now just lends himself to bringing home what could have been a good TV movie had it not been released theatrically. Good job!

When Red Eye first came out I thought it was somewhat cheesy and lacking in any scriptural integrity. However, revisiting this 10 years later has changed my mind. It actually is quite a nice thriller, with the action starting very early, even before they board the plane. You understand the Cillian Murphy character is "off" almost from the outset. Great thrillers offer subtle humor as well, and this one does in droves. While I love aviation movies, most of the action appears after the plane lands. But that is OK, as the movie keeps up the pace throughout. A nice, tight suspense film with (yes, some questionable acting here and there), but overall a nice suspense/thriller.