Eye in the Sky (2015)

Col. Katherine Powell, a military officer in command of an operation to capture terrorists in Kenya, sees her mission escalate when a girl enters the kill zone triggering an international dispute over the implications of modern warfare.

Director:

Gavin Hood

Writer:

Guy Hibbert

Stars:

Helen Mirren, Aaron Paul, Alan Rickman

3 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Faisa Hassan	...	Fatima Mo'Allim
Aisha Takow	...	Alia Mo'Allim
Armaan Haggio	...	Musa Mo'Allim
Helen Mirren	...	Colonel Katherine Powell
Bob Chappell	...	Simon Powell
Alex Gallafent	...	Reporter
Aaron Paul	...	Steve Watts
Babou Ceesay	...	Sergeant Mushtaq Saddiq
Carl Beukes	...	Sergeant Mike Gleeson
Kate Liquorish	...	Female Sergeant
Richard Stephenson	...	Staff Sergeant
Gabriella Pinto	...	Female Corporal
Tylan Wray	...	Male Corporal
Hossain Dahir	...	Driver One
Mondé Sibisi	...	Muhammad Abdisalaam

Storyline

Colonel Katherine Powell is a UK-based military officer in command of a top secret drone operation to capture terrorists in Kenya. Through remote surveillance and on-the-ground intel, Powell discovers the targets are planning a suicide bombing and the mission escalates from "capture" to "kill." But as American pilot Steve Watts (Aaron Paul) is about to engage, a nine-year old girl enters the kill zone triggering an international dispute, reaching the highest levels of US and British government, over the moral, political, and personal implications of modern warfare.

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Plot Keywords:

drone pilot | aerial surveillance | drone warfare | rules of engagement | top level terrorist | 

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Taglines:

Welcome to the new front line.

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some violent images and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official Site Official site [Japan]

Country:

UK Canada

Language:

Somali English

Release Date:

1 April 2016 (USA)

Also Known As:

Enemigo invisible

Filming Locations:

South Africa

Box Office

Budget:

$13,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$113,803, 13 March 2016, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$18,700,837, 17 July 2016

Company Credits

Production Co:

Raindog Films,Entertainment One

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Surround 7.1

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Oliver Hirschbiegel and Tarsem Singh were previously attached to direct.

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Goofs

The location shown as Singapore isn't really Singapore. The background shows a traffic signal that isn't of the type used in Singapore. And there aren't any leaf less trees of the type shown.

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Quotes

James Willett: Revolutions are fueled by postings on YouTube.

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Crazy Credits

Head Bean Counter - Graeme Law

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Connections

Featured in Eye in the Sky: Perspectives (2016)

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Soundtracks

Nude Dancing
Written by Gabriel Previtera (as G. Previtera) / Paul Hepker (as P. Hepker)
Performed by zelig
Featuring Abashante
Courtesy of kekila music

User Reviews

Hugely rewarding military/political thriller

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning

Colonel Katherine Powell (Helen Mirren) is drafted to military HQ, after intelligence confirms reports that a suicide bombing mission that could take out up to eighty people at a shopping mall is soon to go ahead in Nairobi, Kenya. The evidence is credible enough in her eyes, and those of her colleague Lieutenant General Benson (Alan Rickman) to launch an air strike on the terrorist plotters before they carry out their plan, but when a young girl sets up a bread stall around the target zone, American pilot Steve Watts (Aaron Paul) finds himself compromised, and Colonel Powell is thrust into a complex situation where she has to take opinions down the chain of command.

In the modern age, with the terrorist threat level at severe, and attacks being thwarted around the globe almost daily, you have to wonder what's going on behind the scenes to keep us all safe, and hope that those responsible have the ability to make the right decisions, and don't abuse the position unnecessarily. But the thing you cannot forget is, they all are only human, and are in a position not many of us could handle. Eye in the Sky hones in on one such scenario, and gives us a riveting insight into the sort of situation that could unfold.

This is not some wistful, happy ever after tale, this is a depiction of the real life cost of war, and the film isn't afraid to lay bare the nitty gritty of real life tough decisions and the hard, brutal consequences they have. Director Gavin Hood manages to wrap us up in the situation as if it's happening right in front of us, and the result is a genuinely suspenseful, intelligent and unpredictable thriller of the sort you just never see as much of nowadays, where everything seems to be more about style than substance. There are no easy answers, and everyone is caught up in an unenviable place, where every reaction/outcome is morally complex, the result of being in such an impossible state of affairs.

Performances wise, in a role that its all too obvious would usually be played by a man, Mirren owns the lead role, displaying the sort of steely eyed, no nonsense grit that gives it such conviction regardless of gender, and in what we all now know was his last role, Rickman leaves us on a high note, delivering the sour, clear cutting persona we all knew him for, and so well. A supporting cast including Paul and a host of others offer dependable leverage.

This is one of the best, most rewarding and pleasantly surprising thrillers I've seen in a long time, and I'd urge you to see it. *****