RED EYE
*** out of *****

Genres
Thriller

2005
Directed by
Wes Craven         
Written by
Carl Ellsworth (screenplay)
Carl Ellsworth and Dan Foos (story)
Cast
Rachel McAdams .... Lisa Reisert
Cillian Murphy .... Jackson Rippner
Brian Cox .... Joe Reisert
Laura Johnson .... Blonde Woman
Max Kasch .... Headphone Kid
Jayma Mays .... Cynthia
Angela Paton .... Nice Lady
Suzie Plakson .... Senior Flight Attendant
Jack Scalia .... Charles Keefe
Teresa Press-Marx .... Marianne Taylor
Robert Pine .... Bob Taylor

Being a Wes Craven fan I'd always followed the director's work; he's very much a legend among horror filmmakers. His Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) sparked new interest in horror and forever made it an ordeal for people to fall asleep. I saw that movie when I was eleven, and was afraid to close my eyes at night. Deadly Friend (1986) taught me that one day I too could have robotic parts implanted in me (if given the opportunity to get a bionic eye or arm, I'd be cool with that). And in 1996 Scream reinvigorated a once-dead genre, and introduced a new crowd to the filmmaker. He's done so much for a genre that has for the longest time been kicked to curb and considered b-grade fodder, all you have to do is look at the movie listings now and you'll see at least one horror playing on a screen somewhere. Scaring people has become big business, just as big as action, romance, and sci-fi. There's just something about sitting in a dark room with a bunch of strangers and connecting with the images and sounds onscreen on the strictly primal level of fear which, done well, is never forgotten. This is something Craven has, unfortunately failed to do for a while now.

In recent times Craven has been slipping. Music of the Heart (1999) was a drama about a teacher (Meryl Streep) trying to teach inner city kids the joys of the violin (what?). I know what you're thinking…and yes, he did direct that and nobody saw it. He returned to horror with Scream 3 (2000) arguably the weakest of the trilogy and by that point I think we were all a little over Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) and her troubles with staying alive. Then came Cursed (2005) a god-awful attempt at a teen werewolf film. Cursed was a terrible ordeal for Craven. It was plagued by problems from script issues, cast members changing as often as Uwe Boll picks up another video game franchise to screw with, to issues with the special effects; the list goes on. All of these clearly showed in the final product. It seemed like Craven gave in and just wanted to finish the film and put it to rest once and for all. It seemed that Craven's time was up…or was it?

Cursed came, was blasted by critics and movie-goers and then subsequently forgotten. Therefore I must admit I came into Red Eye (although not exactly a horror per se, the film did have some classic horror touches) with a little trepidation, but within the first 20 minutes my fears were alleviated, it was clear this film wasn't going to be another Cursed. Besides, this one has Rachel McAdams and Cillian Murphy, two actors I've come to admire over the last few years. Murphy especially in the fantastic Danny Boyle zombie-fest 28 Days Later (2002) and then for his twisted and brilliant performance as the Scarecrow in Batman Begins (2005). On the flip-side I fell in love with McAdams in Wedding Crashers (2005) and was impressed with her range as an actress in The Notebook (2004). What ensued over the next 80 odd minutes made me almost forget about Cursed altogether and enjoy this film for what it is; a popcorn thriller.

In Red Eye a young hotel manager, Lisa (Rachel McAdams) is trying to get back home to Miami after attending her grandmother's funeral in Dallas. While checking in she meets Jackson (Cillian Murphy), a charming young man who coincidentally is seated next to her on the plane. Soon after take off, we learn that this charming man is not what he seems. Jackson threatens to murder her father if she doesn't cooperate. Lisa must assist him in carrying out the assassination the head of Homeland Security Charles Keefe (Jack Scalia) by using her managerial pull to move him form one room in the hotel to another. If she complies her father's life will be spared; otherwise she'll have another funeral to attend.

{MILD SPOILERS}
I was generally pleasantly surprised by this film, it was for the most part very satisfying. Well for the most part that is, for the first 2/3 of the film it works on a Hitchcockian level, making for a very tense and nail-biting thriller. However, the film's final act drops the ball and the moment the plane lands it turns 180 degrees into a paint-by-numbers action film, complete with a car chase and a heroine fighting back moment. There were times in the film's third act that just make you want to shout at the screen, "WHY?" especially since it was all going so well. I can understand a need to get as far from the antagonist, but when your heroine suddenly inherits an ability to kick ass, especially head-butting a guy and not feeling any effects it is a little beyond belief. Consider for a moment how painful a head-butt is...I think I've made my point. There should have been a far more intelligent way to wrap this film up than by taking the easy route. It seemed a little like a cop out, especially since an audience has invested a fair amount of time in the film and its characters.
{OKAY, YOU CAN READ AGAIN NOW}

The film takes place predominantly in one confined location. The filmmakers manage to capture a claustrophobic feel, combine that with the fact our lead female character is seated next to a psycho makes for entertaining viewing. The dialogue between these two characters is very well executed, made all the more convincing with the strong casting of this pair of McAdams and Murphy. Murphy has this uncanny ability to transform from a lovable nice guy to a menacingly cold evil at the blink of an eye. He's perfectly convincing in this role. McAdams is also impressive, and manages to play ball with Murphy the whole way through, one scene in particular, the bathroom scene on the plane, McAdams commanded the screen and she was all by herself for half of the duration of that scene. She musters enough strength to get up and that provides her character the motivation to continue, she absolutely sells that moment.

The premise for this film is rather straight forward and I'm glad they didn't try to pad it out or convolute it with additional sub-plots or shit that is ultimately unnecessary. The result of this is a rather lean film, clocking in at around 80 minutes it doesn't overstay its welcome. Which, in this case is a good thing, other filmmakers would have seen a need to add more, Craven knew when to stop. On another note I wasn't exactly inspired by the score either, it had a 'made-for-TV' feel to it and aside from adding to the tension onscreen it really didn't do much else.

Red Eye isn't the most inventive thriller, but it has enough in it to keep you on the edge of your seat, just the thought of being 30,000 feet up in the air seated next to a guy threatening to kill a loved one is enough to freak you out. It's a shame they couldn't keep that level of tension going all the way through.

Finger_Of_DOOM's reviews also appear on DVD Compare, where they include details of the DVD release. For this review click here.

Discuss this article on the forums. (0 posts)