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:

The commander is in England. The drone pilot is in America. The terrorist is in Kenya. And the authority to strike is up in the air.

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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

Helen Mirren's role was originally written for a male actor.

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Goofs

The Reaper drone cannot hover; when loitering over a target, it flies in a circle. Yet the camera angle from the Reaper's feed never moves once settled on the target house.

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Quotes

Lt. General Frank Benson: Never tell a soldier that he does not know the cost of war.

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Crazy Credits

Head of Bean Counting - 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

Engaging, effective, and surprisingly heartfelt.

It surprised me quite a bit. Political war thrillers have been so overdone, but this one really managed to work by narrowing its scope. With films like this, and real-life disasters that kill dozens of people, it's easy to overlook the importance of every single human life. This film is aiming to remind us of just how significant, and atrocious, times of war are, and rightly so, the film does not come with any easy answers. I loved how the film was completely focused on one single event, and while I can see how some might think it was stretched out too much, I felt like moral and emotional weight of the situation on all of these characters called for it. Maybe I would say that the film gets a bit too sentimental at times (we don't need to be reminded with the many shots of the characters' faces or the music), but for the most part it really works. And oh Aaron Paul, you're just the perfect actor to play characters who are trying to help children.