Eagle Eye (2008)

I wrote a few years ago about Shia Lebouf's performance in A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints that he was an actor to look out for in the near future.  And after such hits as Transformers, Disturbia, and the latest Indiana Jones movie, Shia Lebouf is shaping up quite a career for himself. 

 D.J. Caruso likewise is shaping up to be a talented director as well.  His career thus far has seemed to be rather hit or miss, from a great film like Salton Sea, to generic fodder such as Two For The Money or Taking Lives.  But with Disturbia, a movie that could have to a lesser director just been Rear Window made for today's teens, he and the cast managed to take that film above the material and actually make it entertaining and engaging.   Now comes the challenge of can he do a big budget Hollywood suspense thriller, the kind that would have probably starred Tom Cruise were this made a few years ago.  

 

Smarts

65%

  In Eagle Eye Shia Lebouf plays Jerry Shaw, a normal guy just working at a copy shop, and getting by by hustling his friends at poker on the side.  Until the day he goes to his twin brother's funeral, and gets caught up in a manic game of cat and mouse with someone who can see him anywhere he goes, and set him up as a terrorist so the FBI is on his trail as well. 

  Michelle Monaghan (Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang) plays Rachel Holloman, a single mother who is also being played by the same party.  She has to do whatever the voice on the phone tells her to or her son will die.  Together, the two of them race against time and the law, mainly an FBI Agent played by Billy Bob Thornton, and an Air Force investigator played by Rosario Dawson (Clerks 2) who are trying to catch them and figure out just who is behind the setup.

   Honestly, if you had told me eight years ago that the kid from Evan Stevens would be one of the top actors in Hollywood I would have laughed in your face.   But over the years, and in this movie especially he shows off a lot of range I didn't think possible.  He's the every guy, and believeable as it thrown into an incredible situation, not unlike Bruce Willis in the first Die Hard movie.  He's truly a talented actor and it's worth watching the movie for his performance alone.

 

 Michelle Monaghan also does well with her role, focusing her emotion and determination as a mother trying to get her child back that could have come across as cheesy with a lesser performance.  I really wonder why she's not getting more roles.  With this and Kiss Kiss, she's got great dramatic and comedic range, and she's kind of hot too, so seriously...put her in more stuff Hollywood.  

 

 Billy Bob does a decent turn in the movie, though he seemed to be just a one note caricture of Fugitive era Tommy Lee Jones in the form of Billy Bob Thornton.  Rosario Dawson was a pleasant surprise to see in this movie,  though she didn't really add much to the proceedings though.

   D.J. Caruso did a pretty good job with this movie, it's his biggest movie he's done, but I can't quite call it his best I don't think.  Some of the parts of the movie are great, but whenever it cut to the FBI trying to solve the mystery scenes I kind of tuned it out, as there just wasn't anything really special to it all.   The action scenes are top notch though, some truly on the edge of your seats moments are to be found in there.   I wasn't surprised at all to see Steven Spielberg's name associated with the movie as a producer,you can see his touch in some of the scenes.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Popcorn

75%

    As I was mentioning, there are some great moments of action and suspense here.  From the first scene of action that reminded me of Morpheus trying to contact Neo in the office but on crack, to an unmanned airplane chasing Shia Lebouf through a crowded tunnel there are some great, great stuff.  If the movie had just a little bit more of that I probably would have loved it instead of merely liking it.   

  If you're just in it for some crazy, and I do mean crazy chase scenes then you'll enjoy this picture.  I still am in awe over the car chase that lead to a junkyard with automatic cranes just tossing police cars about like The Hulk.

 

Final

  I wish I could say I loved the movie instead of merely liking it.  There are some great performances to be found here, insane chases with great special effects, but overall the script by John Glenn and Travis Wright feels at times more like a paperback thriller you'd read on a long trip and then discard more than a great movie.   It's a good movie, but I don't have any desire to see it again anytime soon.  Take that for what you will, and till next time, be sure to keep it Reel.