Review of Eye in the Sky (2007) by Sean W — 30 Apr 2016

The opening sixty seconds of the film set the tone perfectly: as the image of a young girl playing happily is soon juxtaposed with the sight of military vehicles that patrol the streets around her Kenyan home, the discomforting mood is established immediately, and is unrelenting over the course of the film.

The majority of the film focuses on debates between several military and government figures, as they debate the logistics, politics, legality and morality of an attack to be carried out against extremists. The complexity of the characters, and indeed their predicament, is portrayed brilliantly through the actors and the script. Though I must confess that I haven't seen a lot of Helen Mirren's films, this is a striking role for her as the formidable colonel, whose screen presence is as commanding as her character. Alan Rickman, of course, is charming as usual, as he provides much needed moments of deadpan humour while ably and sensitively showing the burden the situation has on his character.

Turning to Aaron Paul, I almost hate to mention his career beginnings in Breaking Bad. We all know he was phenomenal in that; yet it seems that every character he has played before or since has not been too dissimilar. One might have wondered whether he was a good actor, or simply good at being Jesse Pinkman. However, his matured performance here may allow him to escape that typecast, as he continues to exquisitely showcase his emotional range while maintaining the right amount of restraint as appropriate to his character.

As the film continues, the tension builds and the plot thickens, the audience is scarcely given any time to relax, as the impossible situation multiplies in complexity and danger with each passing moment. What the film does so capably is to develop the viewer's understanding of the military world, and the current situation which continues to threaten the real world. What is painfully obvious is that no matter how well trained the characters think they may be, nothing can truly prepare anybody for situations like these. Guy Hibbert's dialogue is so well written and delivered, the viewer is constantly pulled between one side and the other; I found myself siding with arguments and characters I could never have seen myself agreeing with before.

Accompanied by a simplistic yet foreboding musical score and sharp, calculated editing, Eye in the Sky makes sure action takes the back seat, while allowing for character exposition, expert suspense building and tearing its audience apart with moral challenges to which, as it becomes clear, there is absolutely no winner. This isn't just food for thought - it's an all-you-can-eat intellectual buffet.