The Movie Press
  • Movie Reviews
  • Twitter News/Updates
  • News & Notes
  • DVD
  • Box Office Results
  • Contact
  • About Us

More than meets the Eagle Eye

9/25/2008

0 Comments

 

Jerry Shaw is a loser. He's a smooth talker amongst his friends and full of unfulfilled potential according to his parents. He works at Copy Cabana, and is frequently behind on his rent. This is your everyman, played with a maturing skill by Shia LaBeouf, with a dreadful patch of facial hair.

Rachel, Michelle Monaghan, is a single mom dealing with her dead beat ex. She seems to have it relatively together with her priorities clearly in check. How could a hot milf like this get mixed up with our scruffy protagonist? A strange phone call from a mysterious woman. You see Jerry's twin brother has just died, and peculiar things are starting to happen to him. His bank account is full of money, and some seriously crazy shit has just been delivered to his apartment. Is he being set up? Who's behind it all? Well that's part of the fun of watching Eagle Eye now isn't it?

D.J. Caruso knows what he's doing. He handled last year's surprisingly enjoyable teen thriller throwaway Disturbia, and helmed the criminally underseen Val Kilmer starrer The Salton Sea. He has a way of elevating material, and doing it with flash and style. Here Caruso is taking his first foray into action/suspense film making and he couldn't seem more at home. Eagle Eye takes exactly fifteen minutes to hit the ground running and from then on it's like a turbo boost of adrenaline that doesn't let up until the final credits roll. The action scenes are inventive, edge of your seat fun, and even if you don't enjoy the film on a whole, it's hard to deny the thrills you can have from simply watching these scenes.

LaBeouf is growing up before our eyes and he seems to be transitioning into his role as leading man quite nicely, he carries the film on his shoulders and he does it very well. Monaghan is very passable in her role, while Rosario Dawson and Michael Chiklis are both severely underutilized. Billy Bob Thornton is the only other standout, besides our schlubby hero, who brings a third dimension to his character with his own personal charm.

The film does have it's problems though, and it's best to enjoy without being too critical. Let's just say there are points in the film where you are either with it or you aren't. If you don't buy into the whole world/situation within the first 20 minutes, you aren't going to enjoy yourself. Things are ridiculous, and I'll be the first to admit it, but when its coupled with such flair and enjoyment it's hard to nitpick. 

This is also one of those films that has politics in it without being political, and, if anyone is so inclined to notice, it does raise some interesting questions. It's difficult to go into without treading into some spoiler territory. Suffice it to say, there's action for the fellas, LaBeouf for the ladies, and some conversation to be had over tea for the oldies. Eagle Eye is fun-time film making that taps into the same vein as Enemy of the State and North by Northwest (that Caruso sure does love to rip off the Hitchcock). It's what Disturbia was to Rear Window; it's more stylized, more action packed, and significantly less intelligent.

Review by: Greg MacLennan



0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    October 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    July 2018
    June 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    March 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010
    April 2010
    March 2010
    February 2010
    January 2010
    December 2009
    November 2009
    October 2009
    September 2009
    August 2009
    July 2009
    June 2009
    May 2009
    April 2009
    March 2009
    February 2009
    January 2009
    December 2008
    November 2008
    October 2008
    September 2008
    August 2008

    Categories

    All
    Austin Film Festival
    Darcie Duttweiler Reviews
    Derrick Mitcham Reviews
    Eric Harrelson Reviews
    Eric Pulsifer Reviews
    Eric Pulsifer Reviews
    Fantastic Fest
    Greg Maclennan Reviews
    Greg Wilson Reviews
    Jessica Hixson Reviews
    Mark Collins Reviews
    Monte Monreal Reviews
    Reviews
    Rob Heidrick Reviews
    Rob Heidrick Reviews
    Sxsw

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.