Movie review: ‘Eye in the Sky’ is a taut thriller about the pros and cons of drone warfare
BY Stephen Whitty / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS /
Wednesday, March 9, 2016, 4:00 AM
Is it worth accidentally killing an innocent person if it means saving the lives of 80?
If you think the answer is easy either way, the exciting "Eye in the Sky" proves you wrong.
The drama stars Helen Mirren as a British colonel in charge of a joint Anglo-American operation. Working from England, she's tracked three terrorists — two Brits and a Yank — to a house in Kenya. They're loading suicide vests.
Thousands of miles above, camera drones watch. Armed drones wait.
Drones allow commanders to see what is going on inside terror lairs in “Eye in the Sky.” But pulling the trigger isn’t so easy.
And then a little girl wanders into the kill zone.
If the Army takes out the terrorists now, the child may be killed. If they don't, many more people might be.
So, what do you do?
Helen Mirren plays a British commander who wants to take out terrorists even though civilians may die in “Eye in the Sky.”
The colonel wants to fire the missile. Her government wants to wait for more intel. The American Secretary of State has no doubts. The young drone operator sitting on a Nevada base, his finger on the trigger, has nothing but doubts.
And the clock ticks. The window of opportunity closes a little more. Everyone argues a little louder. And the question is asked, again, quick: What do you do?
"Eye in the Sky" starts off slowly and confusingly as we're introduced to the players. Then they start making their arguments and the tension builds.
Is this a terrorist or collateral damage? There’s no way to be sure.
That's because of the situation, of course, but also the actors. As the colonel, Mirren is terrific — a fierce warrior willing to bend as many rules of engagement as it takes. As her commanding officer, the late Alan Rickman is just as dedicated but a little tired of bloodshed.
And meanwhile Jeremy Northam, as the British government official on deck, sweats and stammers and worries about the politics of it all. Isn't there somebody else who could make this decision for him? Please?
But "Eye in the Sky" doesn't let him — or us — off the hook.
The late Alan Rickman plays a war-weary general in “Eye In The Sky.”
In war, everything has consequences, the movie declares, and if you think you can predict all of them, you're either a fool or running for office (or both!). No answer is perfect. The best you can hope for is that, whatever you decide, you don't make things enormously worse.
Yes, this is war by remote control. But it’s no video game
All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt. (Charles M. Schulz)
Responses