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23/10/2008
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Eagle Eye (2008)
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Jerry Shaw (Shia LaBeouf) is a regular guy who works at a copy store, struggles to pay his rent, and barely speaks to his family. Jerry returns home one day to find his apartment filled with weapons and bomb-making equipment. A woman calls him up to tell him that the FBI are on their way and that he has been ‘activated’; he must comply with her requests or be eliminated. Sure enough, the Feds bust in and arrest him, but this is just the start of Jerry’s troubles; the voice on the phone manipulates computer systems and cell phones – anything electrical – to break him free from the FBI, and forces him to do her bidding.
Meanwhile, single mum Rachel Holloman (Michelle Monaghan) packs her young son Sam off on a music field trip, only to receive a phone call that evening from the same mystery woman, who threatens to derail Sam’s train if she does not follow instructions. Jerry and Rachel are thrust together when they are both instructed to go to a car parked on a street corner, the Feds and police hot on their tails. The subsequent car chase marks the beginning of Rachel and Jerry’s ordeal, as the voice on the phone instructs them to do ever more dangerous and illegal things, while FBI agent Thomas Morgan chases after them and Air Force hotshot Zoë Perez tries to work out what the hell is going on and what the connection is to Jerry’s twin brother (recently deceased Ethan, who was the favoured son but may also have been a terrorist).
Director D.J Caruso hurls action sequences, fights and chases at the audience in a bid to distract us from the preposterousness of the plot but his enthusiasm for stunts and CGI leaves little time for character development. Billy Bob Thornton provides solid support as Agent Morgan, but Rosario Dawson and Michael Chiklis fail to make much of an impact as Perez and Defence Secretary Callister because their roles are woefully underwritten. Of course, much of the success of the film rests on the shoulders of its leads, which is a bit unfair given the thin characterisation and crazy plot developments that Shia LaBeouf and Michelle Monaghan have to contend with during the course of the film.
LaBeouf and Monaghan are both capable actors and are certainly good enough in this, but Eagle Eye doesn’t exactly stretch them; their main task is to look harassed while running either towards or away from trouble. LaBeouf is higher billed, so fares better in the characterisation stakes; an emotional scene at his brother’s funeral and a tense exchange with his father afterwards give him an opportunity to emote in a way that he’s not called upon to do again once the action starts. Monaghan only gets a little bit of screentime to establish her relationship with her son but she invests her character with enough sincerity that we believe she will do anything to ensure his safety.
The action sequences are expertly staged – a chase at an airport involving Jerry, Rachel, Morgan and a labyrinth of luggage conveyor belts is particularly original – and the film has as many spectacular explosions and crashes that you would want from an action thriller. Despite the best efforts of the cast there’s something lacking about Eagle Eye. Many people will be delighted by the action and the chases and the crazy plot, but just as many will be disappointed to discover that the finished film has about the same amount of depth as the trailer. Maybe best to wait for the DVD.
Review by Catherine Leopold
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