Eagle Eye (2008)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

D.J. Caruso

Writers (WGA):

John Glenn (screenplay) &
Travis Wright (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

26 September 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

If you want to live you will obey

Plot:

Jerry and Rachel are two strangers thrown together by a mysterious phone call from a woman they have never met. Threatening their lives and family, she pushes Jerry and Rachel into a series of increasingly dangerous situations, using the technology of everyday life to track and control their every move.

Plot Keywords:

Cell Phone | FBI | Twin Brother | Technology | Death

Awards:

1 win & 7 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Fri. Nov. 13	2:30 PM	MAX
Fri. Nov. 13	10:00 PM	MAX
Tue. Nov. 17	10:30 AM	MAX

Cast

Shia LaBeouf	...	Jerry Shaw
Michelle Monaghan	...	Rachel Holloman
Rosario Dawson	...	Zoe Perez
Michael Chiklis	...	Defense Secretary Callister
Anthony Mackie	...	Major William Bowman
Ethan Embry	...	Agent Toby Grant
Billy Bob Thornton	...	Agent Thomas Morgan
Anthony Azizi	...	Ranim Khalid
Cameron Boyce	...	Sam Holloman
Lynn Cohen	...	Mrs. Wierzbowski
Bill Smitrovich	...	Admiral Thompson
Charles Carroll	...	Mr. Miller
William Sadler	...	Jerry's Dad
Deborah Strang	...	Jerry's Mom
Dariush Kashani	...	Translator

Also Known As:

Eagle Eye - Außer Kontrolle (Germany)
Eagle Eye: The IMAX Experience (USA) (IMAX version)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action and violence, and for language.

Runtime:

118 min

Country:

USA | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS | Sonics-DDP (IMAX version)

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #44704) | Finland:K-13 | Australia:M | South Korea:12 | UK:12A | Argentina:13 | Canada:PG (British Columbia) | Singapore:PG | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | Hong Kong:IIA | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Netherlands:12 | Malaysia:U | Denmark:11 | Canada:14A (Alberta/Manitoba/Ontario) | Iceland:16 | Canada:G (Québec) | New Zealand:M | Portugal:M/12 | Germany:12 | Norway:15 | South Africa:13V | Peru:14 | Taiwan:PG-12 | Brazil:14

Filming Locations:

Apple Valley, California, USA

Company:

DreamWorks SKG

Trivia:

According to Shia LaBeouf, in order to become emotional for Ethan's funeral scene, he listened to Judy Garland's "Over The Rainbow" in which he stated that he "breaks down" when hearing that song.

Goofs:

Factual errors: When Zoe Perez leaves the scrapyard, a helicopter takes taking her back to Washington. It looks like a variant of the UH-60 Black Hawk, an army helicopter that should bear the United States flag on the rear vertical fin. It has a California state flag on rear vertical fin, which means is a California National Guard helicopter.

Quotes:

A.R.I.A.: Jerry Shaw, you have been activated. Your compliance is vital.

Movie Connections:

References The Butterfly Effect (2004)

Soundtrack:

Sometime Around Midnight

Gratuitous action thriller

I get it. If we're not careful, our excessive use of technology will destroy our privacy and ultimately be our demise. Now that "Eagle Eye" has completely emptied the tank on the concept of cell phones and surveillance cameras being used to create an elaborate conspiracy, maybe we can go back to character-driven thrillers.

No knocks on the entertainment factor of "Eagle Eye." Produced by Steven Spielberg along with a couple of the writers behind "Transformers," (real shocker there) this an exceptionally well-paced action thriller that has us hooked and begging for answers as to what's happening to Jerry (LaBeouf), who finds himself framed for terrorist-related activities and being commanded to do things by a woman on his cell phone who appears to have access to anything that can be programmed.

The problem with "Eagle Eye," minus its tired concept, is that as it keeps barreling along on the railways and streets of Chicago, it only becomes less interesting and more outlandish. Unlike most thrillers that tend to get more exciting as a film goes on, "Eagle Eye" actually gets worse as we know more and more about the reason behind everything, making it really hard to critique without spoilers. We're still engaged, but we find more and more reasons to role our eyes as the film heads toward its climax.

No element of the film is that atrocious, but it's just absolutely relentless. Non-stop action films can be great, but whether you switch cities or add a female partner (Michelle Monaghan) for LaBeouf to run with, it doesn't change up an action sequence if the dynamic (in this case run, run and do what Julianne Moore's voice says) stays the same.

Without a doubt, "Eagle Eye" fits a genre mold and fits it well, and viewers who like spark- flying action and a good guessing game will find entertainment worth two hours. For those who've seen a lot of the genre and already understand that computers will inevitably control us all, "Eagle Eye"'s entertainment value will just barely hold up amidst a lot of derision.