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 & 10 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 (Dame Helen Mirren) is a U.K.-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 Lieutenant 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 U.S. and British government, over the moral, political, and personal implications of modern warfare.

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Plot Keywords:

drone pilot | drone strike | aerial surveillance | drone warfare | rules of engagement | 

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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:

Action | Drama | Thriller | War

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Certificate:

14A

Did You Know?

Trivia

Not actually filmed in Kenya.

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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.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Alia Mo'Allim: [her father is fixing her hula hoop] It's the best one I've ever had.
Musa Mo'Allim: Yes, my dear. It's finished. Go and play.

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Crazy Credits

Head Bean Counter - Graeme Law

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Connections

Referenced in Honest Trailers: Die Hard (2015)

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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

Gripping, Tense, and Thought-Provoking - HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

One of the best films centered on the war against terrorism that integrates today's truly amazing military and intelligence technology (highlighting drones and the people who guide them to the identification and surveillance of targets, pinpoint accurate missles, and collateral damage assessments/estimating programs), and the moral, ethical, legal and political conflicts of making such decisions within the "rules of engagement" by military and political leaders (and their advisors), that are executed by military, intelligence and field personnel when there is a high-likelyhood of collateral damage.

Film succeeds without being preachy or political, amazingly leaving the film goer to both live in the shoes of each character, and decide for themselves what they would do in the situation.

It is superbly acted and directed, the movie paced well so that it thoroughly engrosses the viewer, and builds a nail-biting tension throughout the duration of the film.

I imagine the majority of people who see this film will be both awed by some of the technology military/intelligence used today (although those used in the film may not actually be available, such as the flying beetle spy-cam) , and will have a greater appreciation for the complexities of decision-making involved, and its impact on both military personnel, politicians, and civilians.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Site

Country:

UK Canada

Language:

English Somali

Release Date:

15 April 2016 (UK)

Also Known As:

Les yeux dans le ciel

Filming Locations:

South Africa

Box Office

Budget:

$13,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$113,803, 13 March 2016

Gross USA:

$18,704,595

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$35,259,653

Company Credits

Production Co:

Raindog Films, Entertainment One, EITS

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Surround 7.1

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1