Movie Review: Eagle Eye
Director: D.J. Caruso
Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Michelle Monaghan, Rosario Dawson, Michael Chiklis
Rated: PG-13
Genre: Action/Adventure
Theatrical Release: Sep 26, 2008 Wide
Synopsis: Eagle Eye is a race-against-time thriller starring Shia LaBeouf, Michelle Monaghan, Rosario Dawson, Anthony Mackie and Billy Bob Thornton. Jerry Shaw (LaBeouf) and Rachel Holloman (Monaghan) 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. As the situation escalates, these two ordinary people become the country’s most wanted fugitives, who must work together to discover what is really happening – and more importantly, why. –© Dreamworks
Shia, Shia, Shia……..what have they done with my Shia? Until Robert Downey Jr. came along this year, Mr. LaBeouf was my favorite actor. His name alone was enough to draw me in. Combine director D.J. Caruso (did a great job on Disturbia) with LaBeouf and throw in an awesome initial trailer, and I’m in. Unfortunately for me, that trailer showed all of the interesting/good parts of the film.
The first 2/3 of the film was okay for me, but that last 1/3 really disappointed me. I just felt like we’ve seen this plot point so many times before and done in more interesting ways that this movie was just a rehash of a rehash of a rehash. Many times when I was watching, I expected Shia to turn into Will Smith who has tackled this subject so many times, its become second nature (iRobot, Enemy of the State).
The action sequences are the main reason to see the film but D.J. Caruso uses the shaky cam here way too often and to very disorienting effect. I had to close my eyes numerous times because I had no idea what was going on or where the characters were in the scene.
For me the things that let me down most about the film were the antagonist of the film (a twist that has been done far too often) and the Steven Spielberg, “War of the Worlds” ending. There was a point for me that they could have ended the movie on and I would have enjoyed the film quite a bit more, but sadly the film continues and has to wrap everything up in a nice shiny bow.
The Good: Billy Bob Thornton
The Bad: Skynet/Hal/iRobot villian, Cookie-cutter ending
The Ugly: Michelle Monaghan’s facial contortions throughout the movie. The awful shaky camera which looked like a film school dropout’s handy work.
