Eagle Eye (2008)

Boom, Bang, Vroom, Huh?, Crash, Kablam = Eagle Eye. A true escapist movie, Eagle Eye is explosive fun, as long as you don't think too much and you don't mind commercials.

Jerry Shaw (Shia LaBeouf), an underachieving slacker, is blackmailed into a criminal situation, directed only by a woman over the phone that seems able to access all the electronics connected by some kind of network. Rachael Hollowman (Michelle Monaghan) is driven into the same situation with Jerry when her son is threatened. FBI Agent Thomas Morgan (Billy Bob Thorton) and Air Force Investigator Zoe Perez (Rosario Dawson) are assigned to investigate Shaw, and, as a consequence, Rachael. They all are led by the seat of their pants on the path the woman on the phone decides.

Eagle Eye is a two hour chase scene. Jerry and Rachael are chased by the FBI, the Air Force and the woman over the phone. The FBI and Air Force are hampered by the outstanding power of the woman on the phone. The cat and mouse game often drew me to the edge of my seat. There is a particular scene involving luggage that made me laugh and dodge in my seat.

Eagle Eye doesn't require too much from the actors, only the occasional fearful face, but most pulled off the fright believably. Billy Bob Thorton's nearly over the top depiction of FBI Agent Thomas Morgan is entertaining. Thorton lucked out because Morgan is written better than most of the characters in Eagle Eye.

The writing is shaky and Eagle Eye occasionally slips off the tracks. When you find out who the woman on the phone is, I dare you not to slap yourself in the forehead.

I would not be surprised if it were accompanied by a hearty head shake. Some of the important points are a little confusing; a wrong move for a movie meant to be a shoot-em-up.

The product placement in Eagle Eye is painfully obvious and tremendously aggravating. The super smart woman on the phone tells Rachel to get in a Porsche Cayenne. She then tells Jerry to get into the Porsche Cayenne. For those of who do not already know, a Cayenne is an SUV. The unimaginably intelligent and fore thinking woman on the phone chooses an SUV for a car chase? Is there any other reason to use this Porsche Cayenne that is not product placement? In another scene Visa Check Cards and Macy's are mentioned in quick succession. Then they are directed to Circuit City for a scene that seems to be written only to show off the TV's at Circuit City. Afterwards Rachael pulls out her Capital One card. I think all of the phones are the same brand. It is nauseating and detracts from the fun of the movie. Director D.J. Caruso and writers John Glenn, Travis Wright, Hillary Seitz and Dan McDermott should be ashamed that they are trying to make us PAY MONEY to watch a commercial. This is a trend that should be stopped by active irritation by the audience on the studio, in this case DreamWorks.

If the goal of the next trip to the movies is to see a movie, wrapped in logic, seamlessly plotted, unspeckled by capitalism, and beyond any reproach, it would be smart to skip Eagle Eye. If the goal is just to check out for a couple of hours and get a little adrenaline rush, Eagle Eye would be a perfect fit.