An overcooked, far-fetched, break-neck paced thriller that has plenty of action but little time for anything else
Eagle Eye (2008)
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Reviews Counted:169
Fresh:47
Rotten:122
Average Rating:4.7/10
Consensus: Eagle Eye is a preposterously plotted thriller that borrows heavily from other superior films.
Australian Rating: M [See Full Rating] Action violence and infrequent coarse language
Runtime: 1 hr 58 mins
Genre: Action/Adventure
Australian Theatrical Release:
Sep 25, 2008 Wide
US Box Office: $101,111,837
Synopsis: D.J. Caruso (TAKING LIVES, DISTURBIA) directs this tale of intrigue that utilizes technology as a character. Jerry Shaw (Shia LaBeouf) is a slacker who works at Copy Cabana--until he returns home... D.J. Caruso (TAKING LIVES, DISTURBIA) directs this tale of intrigue that utilizes technology as a character. Jerry Shaw (Shia LaBeouf) is a slacker who works at Copy Cabana--until he returns home after receiving bad news about his brother to find his apartment filled with incriminating packages, and receives a phone call from a mysterious woman advising him to vacate the premises immediately. Single mom Rachel Holloman (Michelle Monaghan) also finds herself at the mercy of the mystery caller after seeing her young son off on an overnight school trip. Soon, these two strangers find themselves caught in a tangled web, taking directions from the female caller who makes it very clear that if they disobey her, there will be consequences for them and their families. They have no control over the course that's been set in motion. But the real question is, who is making these calls and what is their ultimate goal? Filled with explosive action, car crashes, and high-tech hi-jinx, this thriller moves at breakneck speed. Technology is the co-star here: electronic signs relay the next move to Jerry and Rachel, traffic lights change as needed, and strangers' cell phones ring with directions. The strong supporting human cast includes Billy Bob Thornton as a hard-nosed FBI agent who is investigating LaBeouf for terrorism, and Michael Chiklis as the Secretary of Defense. Rosario Dawson, Ethan Embry, and Anthony Mackie also star in the film, for which Steven Spielberg served as executive producer. LaBeouf remains an interesting young actor, able to move from action sequences to emotional moments with ease, and Monaghan protects her screen son with a mother's ferocity. [More]
Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Michelle Monaghan, Rosario Dawson, Michael Chiklis
Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Michelle Monaghan, Rosario Dawson, Michael Chiklis, Anthony Mackie, Billy Bob Thornton
Director: D.J. Caruso
Director: D.J. Caruso
Screenwriter: Dan McDermott, Travis Wright, John Glenn, Hillary Seitz
Story: Dan McDermott
Producer: Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, Patrick Crowley
Composer: Brian Tyler
Studio: Dreamworks SKG
Reviews for Eagle Eye
The film is probably twenty minutes too long, and can't seem to decide if its techno-philic or -phobic, but is an otherwise compelling and cogent performance piece for LaBeouf and company.
The scriptwriters are setting a trap, but there's a risk. If they push the capabilities of the unseen female voice too far -- and they do -- they risk our patience. Once you withdraw your willingness to believe, it's hard to get it back.
It has been shot and edited with that hectic, all-too-familiar brand of impressionistic choppiness often used by Hollywood directors to make a silly story unintelligible.
Without giving anything away, let's just say that the ending of Eagle Eye is about as subtle as being impaled to death by an American flag.
The film unfolds at such breakneck speed that the credits are rolling before it becomes fully apparent that the storyline actually ran out of gas some way back.
In Eagle Eye, old-school political paranoia is filtered through a new prism that focuses not on terrorism but on overcooked US government measures to monitor citizens.
We're told that the idea for Eagle Eye came from executive producer Steven Spielberg, but it's not a very original idea and it's no surprise that Spielberg didn't want to direct it himself...
This big, bone-headed and unintentionally laughable techno-fear thriller is a movie in one hell of a hurry.
It's presented as a thriller, and it is, but Eagle Eye is also a political film. It's not a very good political film, nor is it a very good thriller, ironically enough because it wants to be very good at both.
Eagle Eye is a totally derivative, unoriginal techno-thriller, cribbing scenes and ideas from better films. ... But it's also thoroughly entertaining.
This is nobody's idea of an intelligent political thriller (or satire), but it is an orgy for the senses.
So colossally ridiculous (and transparently derivative) that willing suspension of disbelief is a fool's errand. [Blu-ray]
Attempting to tap into the public's collective fears and suspicions comes D.J. Caruso's preposterous Eagle Eye, an action film with plenty of thrills but I have no idea what alternate reality it's set in.
What, you can't relate to someone being controlled by an omniscient machine?
...one long, hyperkinetic chase, with the audience wondering what in the heck is happening.
Lowest-common-denominator filmmaking at its most discouraging, with makers who believe moviegoers too stupid to think, so instead opt for constant adrenal gland stimulation.
Pay heed to the movie's warning: Technological advancements might indeed become a concern in the future, especially if they allow for greater mass production of duds like this one.
The cast is not the problem. They are are merely pawns in this cluttered, Ritalin-infused action film that stretches plausibility so often that it would be more accurately described as science fiction.
Latest News for Eagle Eye
January 07, 2009:
People's Choice Awards Winners Announced
The 35th annual People's Choice Awards were handed out on January 7, 2009. A complete list of film nominees, with winners in bold, follows below. More...
January 03, 2009:
Text messengers beware, in this wireless espionage romp where Frankenstein is a female, and where Billy Bob gets the best line: I'm not going down in history as the asshole who let this happen. ![]()
More...
December 22, 2008:
RT on DVD: LaBeouf It Up With An Eagle Eye Christmas!
'Tis the season for gift-giving, which means home video distributers are making the most of the holiday spirit by adding a few irregular release dates to the shopping week;... More...
October 26, 2008:
InLimerick: Text messengers beware, in this wireless espionage romp where Frankenstein is a female, and where Billy Bob gets the best line: I'm not going down in history as the asshole who let this happen. ![]()
More...
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