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IMDbPro

Eye in the Sky

  • 20152015
  • RR
  • 1h 42m
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
86K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,780
1,433
Helen Mirren in Eye in the Sky (2015)
UK-based military officer Colonel Katherine Powell is 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 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.
Play trailer2:31
8 Videos
93 Photos
ActionDramaThriller
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 di... Read allCol. 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.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.
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
86K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,780
1,433
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Gavin Hood
    • Writer
      • Guy Hibbert
    • Stars
      • Helen Mirren
      • Aaron Paul
      • Alan Rickman
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Gavin Hood
    • Writer
      • Guy Hibbert
    • Stars
      • Helen Mirren
      • Aaron Paul
      • Alan Rickman
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 400User reviews
    • 269Critic reviews
    • 73Metascore
    • Awards
      • 3 wins & 10 nominations

    Videos8

    Trailer #1
    Trailer 2:31
    Trailer #1
    Eye In The Sky
    Trailer 2:31
    Eye In The Sky
    Clip
    Clip 1:18
    Clip
    Clip
    Clip 1:27
    Clip
    Clip
    Clip 1:06
    Clip
    Clip
    Clip 0:52
    Clip
    Clip
    Clip 0:53
    Clip
    Expanding the Rules of Engagement
    Clip 0:52
    Expanding the Rules of Engagement

    Photos93

    Helen Mirren in Eye in the Sky (2015)
    Eye in the Sky (2015)
    Helen Mirren in Eye in the Sky (2015)
    Jeremy Northam, Alan Rickman, and Francis Chouler in Eye in the Sky (2015)
    Aaron Paul in Eye in the Sky (2015)
    Aaron Paul and Phoebe Fox in Eye in the Sky (2015)
    Alan Rickman in Eye in the Sky (2015)
    Barkhad Abdi in Eye in the Sky (2015)
    Aaron Paul and Phoebe Fox in Eye in the Sky (2015)
    Iain Glen, Daniel Fox, and Jessica Jones in Eye in the Sky (2015)
    Helen Mirren in Eye in the Sky (2015)
    Gavin Hood, Aaron Paul, and Phoebe Fox in Eye in the Sky (2015)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Helen Mirren
    Helen Mirren
    • Colonel Katherine Powell
    Aaron Paul
    Aaron Paul
    • Steve Watts
    Alan Rickman
    Alan Rickman
    • Lieutenant General Frank Benson
    Barkhad Abdi
    Barkhad Abdi
    • Jama Farah
    Faisa Hassan
    • Fatima Mo'Allim
    Aisha Takow
    Aisha Takow
    • Alia Mo'Allim
    Armaan Haggio
    • Musa Mo'Allim
    Bob Chappell
    • Simon Powell
    Alex Gallafent
    • Reporter
    Babou Ceesay
    Babou Ceesay
    • Sergeant Mushtaq Saddiq
    Carl Beukes
    Carl Beukes
    • Sergeant Mike Gleeson
    Kate Liquorish
    Kate Liquorish
    • Female Sergeant
    Richard Stephenson
    • Staff Sergeant
    Gabriella Pinto
    • Female Corporal
    Tylan Wray
    • Male Corporal
    Hossain Dahir
    • Driver One
    Mondé Sibisi
    • Muhammad Abdisalaam
    Warren Masemola
    • Agent Atieno
    • Director
      • Gavin Hood
    • Writer
      • Guy Hibbert
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Final live-action movie role of Alan Rickman (Lieutenant General Frank Benson).
    • Goofs
      After the first explosion of Hellfire people visible through the smoke slowly go up and down on two parallel streets as if nothing just had happened.
    • Quotes

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

    • Crazy credits
      Head Bean Counter - Graeme Law
    • Connections
      Featured in Eye in the Sky: Perspectives (2016)
    • 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 reviews400

    Review
    Review
    Top review
    9/10
    Unsettling heart-parked-in-your-mouth film
    This is a white-knuckled heart-parked-in-your-mouth "tick tock" suspense thriller. Hardly an ounce of fats lined a lean and mean explosive storyline, and this one is going to hit the "career reset" button for Gavin Hood (even though his last effort Ender's Game is quite decent).

    Eye in the Sky towers above Good Kill (2015) on so many levels. They have the same story premise and both are spins on drone warfare, but their similarities end there. I really thought GK was a decent film albeit a tad too heavy on melodrama histrionics and it ultimately became top down heavy in its underlying message of modern warfare. EitS on the other hand is a complete marvel. It is exactly what GK isn't. It dares to ask probing ethical and moral questions but never cheapens the narrative by giving you broad-stroked answers; it will involve you totally and absolutely. We go through a minefield of moral conundrums and nobody will come out unscathed. The script is exceptionally probing and showcases all the legalistic, moralistic, ethical and political red-tape as parties, seated in situation rooms in different parts of the world (including a toilet), convened to decide whether a Hellfire missile should be launched. We see, almost in real time, the ramifications at every angle, from the innocent bystander, to the terrorists, to the people in suits and to the dude seated in a tiny room, his hands on the red trigger of a joystick. Innocence is indeed the first casualty of war.

    Another reason this film shines is its refusal to go down certain genre tropes. You won't see the guy, who had squeezed the trigger to rain down destruction on collateral innocents, drown in alcohol and sucking in a line of coke. You won't see a woman going home to hug her toddler to reassure herself that she did the right thing. You won't see commanders giving you three-point sermons of "it is a dirty job but somebody has to do it so that the world will be a better place". There is such a raw and unsettling freshness to it. It may be a full-on talkie but I was gripping my arm-rests tightly and my wifey had her palms parked at her mouth, almost literally from the get-go.

    The acting is all round immaculate. Helen Mirren shines as a hard-nosed military officer with a tiny soft spot for her underlings. Few actresses can elevate a film just with their presence; Mirren is one for the ages. This must be the best role I have seen Aaron Paul in since Breaking Bad. His role isn't easy, especially when he is stuck in a gamer's chair almost throughout the film. His face displays so much range that you would feel his internal turmoil as his omniscient eye calculates whether it will be a good kill. Barkhad Abdi, last seen as the baddie in Captain Phillips, has a superb turn as an operative on the ground, proving he is not a fluke. This is also Alan Rickman's final acting role and I literally count down the minutes that he will disappear from the big screen. The utterly memorable line he delivers with that quietly supercilious voice of his send chills down my spine. I am going to miss this fine actor.

    Eye in the Sky is superbly cerebral and morally thought-provoking; a suspense thriller for intelligent people. It is impossible to come out of this 102-minute film and not have your soul shattered in some way. This is one of those films you shouldn't watch alone because you would immediately want to discuss with someone which side of the fence you would sit on and count the dire consequences. Is there even a right side?
    helpful•195
    95
    • ctowyi
    • Apr 12, 2016

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 1, 2016 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • South Africa
      • United Kingdom
      • Canada
    • Official site
      • Official Site
    • Languages
      • English
      • Somali
    • Also known as
      • Enemigo invisible
    • Filming locations
      • South Africa
    • Production companies
      • Raindog Films
      • Entertainment One
      • EITS
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $13,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $18,704,595
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $113,803
      • Mar 13, 2016
    • Gross worldwide
      • $35,259,653
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 42 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Surround 7.1
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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