Eagle Eye

“Eagle Eye” is the kind of movie that will appeal to the crowd who loves loud noise and action. Indeed, this movie has a lot of action, twists, and turns. If you are this kind of viewer, you’ll love this movie. However, if you’re the kind who loves to analyze and try to guess the next twist, you might be disappointed when the movie’s conspirator is revealed and then leaps off the cliff of absurdity.

Jerry Shaw (Shia LaBeouf) is the typical hot-headed youngster who refuses to conform to his family’s expectations. Never wanting to go to Stanford, he became a loner, traveling the world before settling as a copy assistant at a Kinko-like store. Although he struggles with money, his pride refuses to ask his parents for help. He only returns home when he receives news that his twin brother, a U.S. servicemember, died in a car wreck.

Upon his return from his brother’s funeral, Jerry becomes shocked at what has been delivered to his apartment. Guns, bombs, ammunition, and all kinds of instructional manuals are stacked throughout the dwelling. Almost immediately, he receives a call from a mysterious female, informing him that he has been activated, and the FBI will raid his apartment in approximately thirty seconds. Ignoring the warning, he is arrested and detained.

Rachel Holloman (Michelle Monaghan) is a single mother whose joy is only completed by her son, Sam. Sam is a trumpet player in his school band. When the band gets invited to perform for the President, Rachel reluctantly kisses her son goodbye at the train station. Afterwards, she goes out with her girlfriends for some drinks. Believing Sam is calling her, Rachel quickly goes outside to answer the call. To her horror, the same mysterious female now tells Rachel she has been activated. If she wants her son alive, she needs to get inside a parked car and drive.

After the unknown female plots his escape, Jerry enters the car with Rachel. They both find out that the same woman has called them. After trying to escape her multiple times, Rachel and Jerry feel helpless, since the mysterious woman seems to know their every step and conversation.

If one watches the theatrical trailer, the basic plot is shown in its entirety. Rachel and Jerry are part of a much bigger conspiracy. Zoe Perez (Rosario Dawson) and Agent Thomas Morgan (Billy Bob Thornton) try to track down Rachel and Jerry and solve the mystery surrounding his brother’s death.

What keeps you hanging on is finding out the identity of the woman. How can she see their every move? Who or what is she? Whoever she is, she is able to control traffic lights, stranger’s cell phones, vehicles, conveyor belts, and even cranes. Even when Rachel and Jerry are literally running, she is able to quickly communicate directions to them through electric signs or even through a GPS system.

With each scene, I felt the movie became more and more far-fetched. Her abilities knew almost no boundaries. In one scene, they are in the middle of nowhere, she still is able to see them. Once I found out her identity, the movie went downhill. To enjoy this movie, audiences should not think too deeply. If one thinks too much, unanswered questions begin to emerge. If she wanted Jerry’s help, why did she frame him? Framing him was a bad idea, since it made the FBI aware and caused them to track his movements. After enduring long drives, walks, and gunfire, it turns out the woman wanted them to board a plane. If she is all-knowing, why couldn’t she just have hijacked the plane for them to immediately use?

Offensive Content

This movie is quite heavy in its violence. There are plenty of car chases, crashes, explosions, and gunfire. After refusing to cooperate any longer with the female terrorist, a man is electrocuted by electric wires. In a later scene, it shows his burnt thumb up close when it is scanned. Two characters get shot. While the movie was loud and chaotic at times, I did not feel the violence was overly offensive.

The movie’s main offense comes from all the profanity. In all, I counted 43 uses. Jesus and the Lord’s name are said in vain about 10 times. There were about 7 GDs and two uses of the ‘f’ word.

The sexual content is rather mild, and these offenses are all within the dialogue near the beginning. While drinking with her friends, Rachel asks her friends who has gotten a booty call or has gotten lucky. During a game of poker, Jerry entices a player to keep playing in the chance of winning more money. If the player wins more money, then he, too, might get lucky. Jerry uses the phrase to “pull a d—k.”

Jerry asks the female conspirator who she was. She then instructs him and Rachel to enter an electronics store. She reveals herself by putting all of Jerry’s personal information, photos, IM chats, Web searches, and videos on multiple screens. She then goes about telling Jerry all about his life, shaming him. She shows her limitation by revealing that she had pulled the videos from his dead brother’s laptop.

The almighty Lord is omnipotent and all-knowing. While this film’s imaginary idea of a female tracker was limited to networks, all of our actions, whether good or bad are being watched by God. Any actions behind closed doors or any shrouded Web searches are still in God’s knowing. In Ecclesiastes, King Solomon wrote “for God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.”

The gaping plot holes might be overlooked by audiences who love some action on the big screen. I felt that the first thirty minutes were intriguing and left me wondering who was behind the enormous conspiracy. After learning the “secret,” the movie went straight into a silly, eye-rolling action flick. I am sure that this movie would have been a small release, if it did not have big names attached to it. I suggest you wait until it comes out on DVD.

Violence: Heavy / Profanity: Heavy / Sex/Nudity: Mild

• Positive
• Neutral
• Negative
• Young people