Over the weekend ‘Eagle Eye’ soared into spot #1 at the box office (heh heh it’s a pun), these numbers are despite a barrage of mostly negative reviews which seems to sum up how much audiences pay to critics these days…
After that opening paragraph I should know that nobody is going to read my review however if you are one of the few who still reads reviews allow me to sway you;
‘Eagle Eye’ stars Shia LaBeouf, Michelle Monaghan, Rosario Dawson, Billy Bob Thornton and Michael Chiklis, and is directed by D.J. Caruso.
‘Eagle Eye’ starts out in a fast paced yet cliché room of decision making, it’s a room we’ve seen in films like ‘Transformers’, and ‘The Bourne Ultimatum’, the one with all the feds making big decisions while watching the action through big screen TVs. In this room the Defense Secretary (Michael Chiklis) is trying to convince his colleagues not to bomb a funeral precession which may be attended by a high level terrorist. Defense Secretary advises against the bombing but they are in the minority. I found the whole scene a bit tedious and cliché however just when the scene became really tedious there was a big explosion and the title came up on screen ending the intro.
We are introduced to Jerry Shaw (Shia LaBeouf) who is involved in a heated poker game over his break, we quickly find that he does not work a glamourous, dangerous or particularly interesting job no he’s just a rep at ‘Copy Cabana’. After his shift he receives a call from his mom telling him that his brother just died. There is a funeral after-witch Jerry’s dad confronts him we get the classic “Why can’t you be more like your brother, you little Stanford dropout” scene.
Later Jerry returns to his job at Copy Cabana and life continues a usual, until Jerry goes deposit a check finds that he has $751,000 in his account, (weird right?), things get even stranger for Jerry when he enters his flat and finds bags and bags of ammonium nitrate along with other explosives, weapons, and manuals to air force jets. His phone rings “The FBI will arrive at your door in 20 seconds, run” Jerry does not heed the voice and is arrested in about 20 seconds when the FBI does in fact come.
Rachel Holloman (Michelle Monaghan) a young, single mom gets her son ready for a big recital in Washington DC where he will be playing for the president, she gives him a kiss and helps him board a train looking both worried and excited for her son. Shortly after he boards she receives a call from the same woman who called Jerry, the woman asks Rachel if she wants to see her son again then gives her instructions which, if not followed will result in the death of her son.
Agent Thomas Morgan (Billy Bob Thornton) interrogates Jerry, then, with clearance from the higher-ups agrees to give Jerry a phone call. However as opposed to making a phone call Jerry receives one, it’s the voice again telling him to duck. Jerry turns just in time to see a tower-crane coming towards the window (ok the chances of the crane being in the vicinity of the window are slim to none but it’s a fun scene none the less). The crane smashes the glass and Jerry jumps, and takes the train. While on the train Jerry receives another call giving him instructions of what to do next, the woman on the phone still does not reveal herself.
Jerry is told to walk to a parked Porsche Cayenne, he hops in and finds Rachel who he believes to be the woman on the phone the two fight a bit then realize they are both victims. However they still have feds chasing them and a woman threatening to kill Rachel’s son if she does not obey the two decide to take there chances with the woman and they hit the road, an awesome chase ensues with many a police car flying through the air incurring hundreds of thousands of dollars of damage it’s fun!
Jerry and Rachel embark on a faced paced and dangerous journey where they must obey a woman who follows there every move with uncanny vision while at the same time trying to uncover the woman, prove there innocence and come out alive.
‘Eagle Eye’ is fast and fun. True many coincidences aid the story telling, and there are more then a few parts that “the plausibles” will surely complain about. But this is a fun popcorn thriller, not a deep psychological study. When I walked into the theater expecting to have fun and be entertained for two hours and that’s exactly what I got. If your looking for a fun film to see go see ‘Eagle Eye’ if your looking for something deeper go see something else it’s as simple as that.
Rating: 
-Travis Fantina
