Lazy Film Critic Movie Reviews
Eye in the Sky
Eye in the Sky is a political thriller directed by Gavin Hood, who's previous work includes films such as Enders Game. The film follows a fairly simple story, there's a military operation under way to take out a high-profile member of a terrorist group, pretty basic stuff. However, things become complicated when a child enters the kill zone, triggering an international dispute involving both what is legally justifiable and what is morally right. The film stars Helen Mirren, Aaron Paul, Barkhad Abdi, Alan Rickman, Iain Glenn, and Phoebe Fox.
Political thrillers are some of the tougher films to act in, because unlike a film such as Sicario or No Country for Old Men where the threat of violence is the driving force for the intensity, in a political thriller the actors have to sell a situation being intense and anxiety inducing. And by god, does this cast absolutely sell it. Aaron Paul is the particular standout here, because he has to sell the kind of daunting guilt and defenselessness that would come with being a drone pilot with disconcerting orders. Helen Mirren is also as fantastic as ever, delivering one of her more complex performances I've seen. And of course, Alan Rickman is in this movie in his final live-action role, and the gone but not forgotten acting legend is as brilliant and memorable as always.
However, the real intensity and anxiety of the film is due to the brilliant direction of Gavin Hood, and this is by a huge margin his best film to date. Another major factor into what makes Eye in the Sky truly something special is the screenplay by Guy Hibbert. This film manages to take a situation that, in the average film, would be the opening scene, or the first act at the most, and seamlessly stretch it so that it makes up a two hour long film. The result is a film that will have you biting your nails over even the simplest of things. This movie always has an event to keep things moving, always some new thing that happens to cause an argument or any other kind of bad situation, and it keeps your attention for the entire ride. This is one of the first films since last years Steve Jobs where 40 minutes feels like 10 minutes, despite not much having really happened aside from intense conversation.
What makes Eye in the Sky truly special is something similar to another amazing film from this year - Midnight Special - which is that it lets actions and moments speak for themselves. The morals and ethics of this story are left largely for the audience to decide for themselves. I could totally see people spend a good 2 hours discussing this movie, and the most fascinating part is that this movie has some fantastic back and forth between right and wrong, and it has you questioning even your own moral sense during the film. It's a rare quality, so It's earned Eye in the Sky a place on my favorites of the year.
Final Rating
Eye in the Sky is officially out pretty much everywhere now, I urge everyone to go see this film. This movie has the intensity and anxiety of a Bourne movie but instead of a battle of the fists, this movie is a moral battle, and it's incredibly complex in its morals. There are a few very minor nitpicks, the CGI isn't great, and a lot of people may find this movie either boring or way too intense. However, if you can stomach two hours of sitting on the edge of your seat with anxiety, check out Eye in the Sky.
Eye in the Sky is officially out pretty much everywhere now, I urge everyone to go see this film. This movie has the intensity and anxiety of a Bourne movie but instead of a battle of the fists, this movie is a moral battle, and it's incredibly complex in its morals. There are a few very minor nitpicks, the CGI isn't great, and a lot of people may find this movie either boring or way too intense. However, if you can stomach two hours of sitting on the edge of your seat with anxiety, check out Eye in the Sky.
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