Review of Red Eye (2005) by Stevenf — 21 Oct 2013

Lisa Reisert is the go to girl as 'Red Eye' opens, she is a hotel manager who is catching a flight back home, she's on the phone for the first few scenes trying to rectify a matter over a call, she's busy and always on the move, but apparent is capable of defusing any situation, but she is put into a very different situation when she catches the last flight back to Miami, this has all the tendencies to be a decent thriller, and save for a few plot snags and some over-zealous tones, Red Eye succeeds in being enjoyable, full of suspense and doesn't drag it's feet.

Rachel McAdams plays the overworked girl, but she doesn't oversell her character which seems to be common territory now, it's quite easy to get carried away with plot details, but McAdams has had her fair share of mainstream roles over the years, she reacts how we assume people would react in these situations, but of course this doesn't come without a plot that has no need to be as complex and figuring as it is, but she has a foe in the form of Jackson, playing what appears to be the ideal man behind her in the check-in line, he helps her out with another unruly passenger, buying her a drink and laughing over each others names and stories about relatives, but he has plans when they board their flight, his charm soon turns to sinister motives when he outlines his plan to Lisa, not to give too much away, but her retired father (Brian Cox) is somewhat involved in a sort of hostage situation that depends on Lisa following everything she is told.

The film uses its plane setting to its advantage, using the enclosed space for more candid scenes and that added dose of claustrophobic intensity. We have quite a short and snappy thrill ride in Red Eye, strong performances from the increasingly brilliant McAdams and the resident bad guy Murphy prove to make the film what it is, especially when they hit the ground and a car and mouse game ensues, Murphy's character still soldiers on, even with a pen lodged into his neck.

Wes Craven is the man behind the 'Scream' series, it's clear here as he often creates situations that are often comical more than they are frightening, but the chemistry between the two leads leaves the small flaws behind, this is interesting, thrilling and well acted in a short time frame, it doesn't sell out but instead casts McAdams who doesn't forget the sort of film she's doing, but also remains believable and doesn't oversell the plot at all, definitely a film that succeeds in not dragging out scenarios but gets to the point.