Eye In The Sky
by Radheyan Simonpillai
September 11, 2015 - 8:30 PM
EYE IN THE SKY
GALA D: Gavin Hood. UK. 102 min. Sep 11, 6:30 pm Roy Thomson Hall; Sep 12, 11:15 am Isabel Bader. Rating: NNN
This military thriller occasionally grinds to a halt to host a Reddit-like debate on drones. Surprisingly, it still works and manages to present valid, even-keeled positions, too. No trolling necessary.
Helen Mirren and Alan Rickman play British commanders remotely coordinating a tactical team in Somalia on a mission to capture terrorists, while a Nevada-based drone pilot (Aaron Paul) stands by and politicians across the globe loom over everyone.
The suspects are (conveniently) spotted with suicide vests, while an innocent girl near the site would become a casualty of the drone attack.
The strike waits as everyone chimes in on an exhaustive and often comical argument about the optics involved in killing one child to prospectively save 80 people. The film optimistically insists that military types put a lot of thought into an imminent high-stakes operation.
Director Hood manages to pull an intense nail-biter out of all the messy backroom theatrics. He excels in the on-the-ground action, which features a stellar Barkhad Abdi (Captain Phillips) as a Somali operative who squirrels around the kill zone to discreetly get the little girl out of harm’s way.
#2 http://www.mrwillwong.com/eyeinthesky/
#TIFF15: “EYE IN THE SKY”
September 11, 2015
Review by Justin Waldman for Mr. Will Wong
In recent years cinema has seen a upswing in drone-based Movies, some of these titles have played commercial success and the festival circuit while others have been left in the dust of their own destruction. This year is no different as a star-studded cast makes its way to the TIFF ’15 in Eye in The Sky, a drone movie riddled with political ineptitude. The Film does present some very interesting dilemmas and issues surrounding drone based missile attacks, but at the same time the morality question has to be asked as well as is a strike justified if its for the greater good.
In the beginning of the Movie, we meet our hero and protagonist Steve Watts (Aaron Paul) a drone pilot whose mission is to fly over Nairobi, Kenya to track and capture three on the FBI/CIA’s most wanted list in Kenya. However, when thinks take a quick turn from a capture mission to a kill mission Colonel Katherine Powell (Helen Mirren) is faced with nothing but difficulty from the English government lead by Lieutenant General Frank Benson (Alan Rickman) whose colleagues cannot make up their mind and consistently request it to be sent up for approval. With seconds literally ticking on the clock before mass casualties can occur, the thrill ride is keeping audiences constantly at the edge of their seats.
Aaron Paul who has proven he can be very good at persuasion in Breaking Bad is at it again with an incredible performance, not to be outdone by seasoned veterans Helen Mirren or Alan Rickman whom both are absolutely remarkable as well. Rickman who plays the seriously irritated and jaded lieutenant general, also provides some of the much needed light comic relief in the Film.
eOne Films’ Eye in The Sky premieres at TIFF on Friday September 11th at 6:30 pm at Roy Thomson Hall and again at a second screening on Saturday September 12th at 11:15 am at Isabel Bader.
#3 http://blacksheepreviews.com/eye-in-the-sky-tiff15-review/
EYE IN THE SKY (#TIFF15 Review)
Posted by Matthew Hoffman on Sep 11, 2015 in Catalog, TIFF |
Written by Guy Hibbery / Directed by Gavin Hood / Starring Helen Mirren, Aaron Paul, Alan Rickman and Barkhad Abdi
On paper, EYE IN THE SKY really should not work. It sounds like the type of war film that comes along every year, and even Helen Mirren’s name could not make it a hard sell. In watching the film, this appears to be true at first, yet the film takes a very interesting turn and quickly becomes one of the most thrilling films of the year.
Mirren stars as Colonel Katherine Powell. Along with her team, Powell has been hunting British citizen turned Somali terrorist Aisha Al Hady for years. Finally, Powell has located Al Hady inside a residential home, and immediately brings on a drone strike team to assist in destroying her target. Drone operator Steve Watts (Aaron Paul) is ready to launch the missiles, when he realizes that a young girl is selling bread in the “kill zone”. A debate quickly begins between Powell, Lieutenant General Frank Benson (Alan Rickman), Foreign Secretary James Willett (Iain Glen), and more as to whether or not to fire the missiles. Meanwhile, Powell employs ground agent Jama Farah (Barkhad Abdi) to deter the girl.
EYE IN THE SKY gets interesting when it moves past the drone strike strategizing and into the debate of whether or not to kill the young girl. There is an argument presented in which they can fire the missiles, likely killing the young girl but also preventing countless deaths from Al Hady’s suicide attacks, or they can save the girl, likely allowing Al Hady to continue killing. As the debate comes to a close, audiences will be swept into the film, and surely split between the two camps.
The ensemble is strong, but one gets the sense that most of these characters could have been played by anyone. Mirren is not really given too much to do, character wise, which kind of makes her performance feel like a waste of talent. It is nice to see CAPTAIN PHILLIPS star Abdi again, as he provides the most charismatic performance in the film. While at times it may feel a bit familiar, EYE IN THE SKY is a strong edge-of-your-seat thriller that is sure to divide its audience.
3.5 sheep
EYE IN THE SKY screens at TIFF15 as part of the Gala Presentations program. This is the screening information:
Friday, September 11, 6:30 PM, Roy Thompson Hall
Saturday, September 12, 11:15 AM, Isabel Bader Theatre
All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt. (Charles M. Schulz)
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