http://www.rogerebert.com/festivals-and-awards/tiff-2015-a-tale-of-love-and-darkness-45-years-eye-in-the-sky
TIFF 2015: "A Tale of Love and Darkness," "45 Years," "Eye in the Sky"
by Susan Wloszczyna
September 12, 2015

EXCERPT
guess I shouldn’t be surprised that Dame Helen Mirren can even make camo fatigues look sexy as her British colonel sternly reigns over “Eye in the Sky” as surely as her Elizabeth II presided over “The Queen.” She is long past losing her action genre virginity after starring in TV’s “Prime Suspect” and in those gun-toting “RED” films and looks quite stylishly in her element.

But South African director and actor Gavin Hood’s thriller about the implications of unmanned military drones used in the war on terror manages to be primo popcorn fare as well as a thoughtful rendering of the moral implications of bombing a target from thousands of miles away. A nail-biter with a brain, in other words.

Hood makes up for the stumble he took with "Rendition," the follow-up to the Oscar-winning "Tsotsi" from 2005, with this ripping yarn that doubles as a cautionary tale. He wastes little time in deftly introducing the worldwide network of characters and putting them in their places behind monitors, mostly so they can provide drone surveillance of a fateful meeting between members of the terrorism group al-Shabaab who sit high on the most-wanted list after bombing a Nairobi shopping mall.

Besides Mirren in an Army base in England, there is Alan Rickman’s lieutenant sitting amongst several high-ranking British politicians, Aaron Paul’s baby-faced drone pilot near Las Vegas, another team member in Hawaii who IDs the targets and a specialist in legalities who dogs Mirren as she makes split-second decisions.

Most valuable, however, is Barkhad Abdi, the Oscar-nominated Somali actor from 2013’s “Captain Phillips” whose character is on the ground in a Kenyan suburb and is the only one physically present where the events are actually unfolding.

Most valuable, however, is Barkhad Abdi, the Oscar-nominated Somali actor from 2013’s “Captain Phillips” whose character is on the ground in a Kenyan suburb and is the only one physically present where the events are actually unfolding.

When the drone images reveal that the terrorists are preparing for an immediate suicide strike, the mission suddenly switches into attack mode. But before any action can be taken, several levels of officialdom must be consulted – especially when collateral damage in the possible form of innocent lives becomes an issue.

While there is little that is inherently dramatic in heated debates that pit necessity against human lives, Hood does an excellent job in finding ways to ramp up the tension without resorting to the usual mindless blockbuster tricks. Most wisely, he uses the drones themselves—besides an hovering aircraft, there is a birdlike creature and a cicada-like critter that flutter about looking like mythical beings that belong in a “Clash of the Titans” sequel—to relieve any sense of stasis.

The payoff to this new-fangled tick-tock is both emotional and thought-provoking. How many action thrillers these days achieve that, and have a kick-a** dame to boot?