Review of Eye in the Sky (2007) by Akash S — 16 Jun 2016

A well-paced and ably-directed timely film that explores the legal, political and ethical dilemmas surrounding the almost impossible but necessary military decision-making process of drone use against terrorists, and the innocent civilians whose lives are affected by it. The best thing about the film, when it comes to wartime political thrillers like this, is that it isn't preachy and shows the sequence of events in way that doesn't dictate what's to be thought or felt. It raises a lot of important questions and lets our mind do the pondering. Certainly Director Gavin Hood's best work yet; combines the humanism of 'Tsotsi' and political intrigue of 'Rendition', and uses his experience and prowess on a well-written story to give us 'Eye in the Sky' (which is a brilliant name, by the way).

The hilarious but important political bureaucracy and the focus on the life of one young civilian sometimes seem to be milked too much, but those aspects certainly help us see the entire situation in a broader light. The film doesn't focus on numbers; it focuses on the responsibility and accountability of casualties each individual (in the decision-making process) is willing to take when two unpleasant outcomes are presented before them.

And as Stephen Holden from 'The New York Times' points out, it's "unpredictable human behavior [that] repeatedly threatens an operation of astounding technological sophistication.".

The detailed art design, the voyeuristic camera angles and shots, the thumping background score and well-timed silences, and crisp editing - all of these aspects play a big role in creating the feel of the film and pull us into its high-stakes environment. Since most of the film involves communication among people from different agencies, it wouldn't have been effective without the impeccable cast that it has, especially Helen Mirren and Alan Rickman, in his final live-action role; he certainly does get a memorable ending line, "Never tell a soldier that he doesn't know the cost of war.".