Alex Swob
Staff Writer
From director D.J. Caruso (“Disturbia”) comes another action-thriller staring Shia LaBeouf (“Holes”).
“Eagle Eye” commences when Jerry Shaw, LeBeouf, comes back to his apartment one night and discovers explosives, weapons and multiple passports planted in his room. Shortly after, he receives a mysterious call from an unnamed woman telling him to leave his apartment or else the FBI will arrive in 20 seconds.
Predictably, he panics and does not heed the stranger’s advice.
Consequently, Shaw is captured by the FBI and placed in a high-security cell. Yet, during his phone-call break, the mysterious voice calls back again, telling him what to do in order to escape. From this point on, the ‘voice’ continues to guide his every move.
Although the beginning of the film contains some original and creative ideas, the movie ultimately falls apart with terrible dialogue, unrealistic circumstances and no original material of its own.
With regard to the dialogue, there are multiple scenes where the lines are so sub-par that some could be encountered on the Sci-fi channel.
For example, there was a scene in which the two protagonists are driving across country. Instead of skipping this section of the movie, the screenwriter felt the need to fill it with cheesy and unnecessary dialogue concerning the character’s relatives — information the audience already knows.
Furthermore, they started quarreling with one another in an unconvincing and melodramatic way that wouldn’t even convince the most ardent soap opera fan.
It is as if the film did not have enough material to form a full-length movie. Perhaps these scenes could have added to the overall plot, but the way in which the dialogue was utilized killed any chance of being meaningful.
Although the plot of the film had promise in the beginning, it quickly dissolves as the situational circumstances became far-fetched and unrealistic, even for a sci-fi thriller. Once Jerry start disguising himself in police clothes stolen from an unconscious police man, the audience starts rolling its eyes.
Furthermore, the characters in the film did not have enough motives for the actions they were performing — they appeared to just go along with the flow for no other reason than to keep the plot going.
And, as the plot continued, it also unraveled. The potential for a unique thriller turned out to be another reincarnation of the same genre of thrillers that have been released during the past decade.
The film relies on the audience to suspend its disbelief. Yet, it asks viewers to suspend it to such a degree that it eventually cracks. The multiple situations that the characters find themselves in, although a bit creative, lack rational sense, like the scene in which the mysterious voice somehow controls the phone lines and breaks them, causing the wire to shock someone to death.
“Eagle Eye,” however, does have some good qualities. The action sequences were definitely up to standard, ranging from impressive car chases to adrenaline-fueled races against time. The film even has a deeper moral message than one might expect — and it worked quite well.
All things considered, the movie was not terrible. Although the bad slightly outweighed the good, making it another underperforming thriller.
However, if one is looking for cheap thrills and suspense, “Eagle Eye” is the answer.
The suspense and action is just enough to make it an average movie. But, if someone wants a film with some degree of intelligence, he or she will not find it here. Viewers would be better off saving their money to buy it when it comes out on DVD.
In the meantime, go see the “Dark Knight” or “Pineapple Express.”
10-02-2008
