Eye In The Sky review: Gavin Hood explores the nature of current war tactics and the powerful impact of single decisions.
Helen Mirren stars alongside Alan Rickman in his last on-screen role in this war drama. Here is the official verdict from The Hollywood News. Check out Luke Ryan Baldock’s Eye In The Sky review below.
Eye In The Sky review
Drones have been one of the rising stars of cinema over the last couple of years. They’ve appeared as intricate plot points, allowing for quick resolutions for screenwriters and interesting set pieces for directors. Horror, action, comedy, there is no limit to the range of drones and now it is one of the main stars in the tense and gripping war drama Eye In The Sky. Combined with on-the-nose political commentary and biting British satire, Eye In The Sky is an unmissable film.
The entire plot is condensed into close (but not quite real) time. At its simplest it all boils down to a single decision as to whether a bomb should be dropped on a house filled with terrorists. The simple premise is expanded upon by the morals, ideas, and emotions of a range of different characters. Heading these up is the cold but professional Colonel Powell (Helen Mirren), who answers to Lieutenant General Benson (Alan Rickman), who in turn must consult and advise a group of ever increasing politicians all hoping to shift the blame. Also caught up in proceedings are the two drone pilots (Aaron Paul and Phoebe Fox) who will be charged with firing the missile, and on the ground Kenyan surveillance man Jama (Barkhad Abdi).
Eye In The Sky review
Eye In The Sky is exhilarating from its first moments and the unbearable tension never lets up. As the situation becomes ever more dangerous you may find your own perspective starting to shift. The main moral dilemma enters the picture when a young girl selling bread becomes the potential face of the collateral damage. All characters make excellent cases and you’re glad that you don’t have any say in such a decision. As we see lawyers, statisticians, politicians, military, police, innocents, Americans, British, Kenyans, etc. all getting dragged into events, there’s obviously no clear answer.
The film avoids clichéd and single note characters with simple techniques, quirks, and glimpses at everyone’s humanity. Mirren may play it cold, but she is obviously someone who has put up with countless politicians more concerned with their own image than security. Rickman begins the film trying to remember which doll to buy his daughter, while Iain Glen’s politician is stuck on the toilet after a nasty bout of food poisoning. It is equally shocking and reassuring that such important and tragic decisions are woven around everyday life.
Eye In The Sky review
Gavin Hood directs this claustrophobic thriller with all the confidence and promise he showed back in Tsotsi. His masterful handling of the subject matter gives us lots of time with the mission centred cast of core characters, yet somehow we find ourselves having deep emotions with those barely on screen. The terrorists are scary and hateful, yet we only experience them through surveillance footage, and little girl Alia (Aisha Tarkow) tugs at our heart with simple moments of love between her and her father, and he resolute approach to selling her mother’s freshly baked bread.
Eye In The Sky is a perfectly crafted film, utilising every single second and capitalising on every plot twist. It manages to be an affecting and timely film that doesn’t forget the entertainment. You’ll be enjoying the action, while once the film has ended you can meditate on the current state of war and how it may be easier to keep one’s hands clean, but consciences are another matter. It is both important and relevant with enough dry British wit to punctuate the painful moral dilemma. Nerve shattering and thought provoking, Eye In The Sky is not to be missed.
Eye In The Sky review by Luke Ryan Baldock, April 2016.
Eye In The Sky is released in cinemas on April 15th.
