EAGLE EYE (2008)

 

The term "thrill ride" as a description for an action film is certainly overused. But it's the only term I can think of that aptly describes D.J. Caruso's EAGLE EYE. While the story begins in a reasonably calm, almost solemn manner, it very quickly shifts into a high gear of almost constant movement, complete with all the requisite amounts of noise, car chases and destruction that are necessary for such cinematic ventures. This movie could quite possibly induce motion sickness and/or physical and emotional exhaustion. But it won't leave you bored.

Shia LaBeouf stars as Jerry Shaw, a college dropout who has always lived in the shadow of his twin brother, Ethan, an Air Force officer who has just been killed. After Ethan's funeral, Jerry's life inexplicably goes into bizarro mode. He suddenly has $750,000 in his bank account, and someone has delivered enough explosive materials to his apartment to reconstruct 9-11. He is contacted on his mobile phone by a mysterious woman who informs him that the FBI is coming to arrest him and he needs to flee. Now. This is where the thrill ride kicks in. Jerry finds himself connected to single mother Rachel Holloman (Michelle Monaghan), who has been receiving telephone instructions from the same mysterious woman. Rachel has been told that her young son will be in danger if she doesn't comply. The two confused, reluctant partners find themselves caught up in an insane adventure they don't even begin to understand. They are being pursued by FBI agent Tom Morgan (Billy Bob Thornton) and Air Force OSI agent Zoe Perez (Rosario Dawson).

Giving away too many plot details will spoil the many surprises and twists and turns in the film. Let's just say it has to do with terrorism, secret government security measures and a runaway computer. It leads to a riveting climax that takes place in the U.S. Capitol, a rather uncomfortable plot point considering what happened in January of 2021. The climax reaches an almost Hitchcock-like crescendo by adding the appearance of a children's school band (one of the children being Holloman's son) to an intense life or death situation.

LaBeouf and Monaghan exhibit all of the necessary energy needed for their roles as normal citizens forced into an outrageous situation. And in their (very) few quiet moments, they interact well as two people who slowly learn to trust and care about each other. Rosario Dawson is a strong, commanding presence throughout. And Billy Bob is, well, Billy Bob. And that's good enough.

As someone who isn't a huge fan of action films, I have to admit this was an enjoyable experience. Noisy, but enjoyable. And despite the subject matter, the violence quotient wasn't nearly as high as might be expected.