Film Reviews

Eagle Eye

• Rating:
• Director: DJ Caruso
• Starring: Billy Bob Thornton
• Details: USA / 118mins/ (12A)

Like most film critics, I take notes during screenings. It could be anything relating to the moving images being projected before me - but mostly, it's short sentences to remind me of a particular scene, or some noteworthy dialogue, or whatever. During Eagle Eye, I essentially took down a list of films that it "borrows" liberally from. Enemy of the State, The Bourne Identity, The Game, 2001 and Arlington Road are all, at one point or another, stolen from throughout its ridiculously elongated running time. Director Caruso paces proceedings in such a manner that (he hopes) you won't notice, though; as cars crash, cameras swoop and every sentence is uttered so fast, the entire cast and crew must've chowed down on caffeine pills before every take. The plot sees LeBoeuf's slacker and Monaghan's single mother on the run from the government after they both receive a series of phone calls from a woman, giving them instructions on how to avoid capture and fulfil their "mission", which we learn about later. It's all linked, somehow, to the untimely demise of LeBoeuf's twin, who was a bit of an overachiever, leaving our hero a "stranger in his own home". But that's all the daddy issues we're really subjected to, as Caruso uses breakneck pacing to try and disguise the various holes in his plot. The reason why the frantic editing worked in The Bourne Series was that the plot was not overly complicated, so you could figure out what was going on without missing any of the action. The four writers (never a good sign) couldn't pen a realistic sentence of dialogue between them, and the plot never feels like unravelling until the final few scenes, when the whole thing is ended by something so brain-numbingly simple, you'll wonder why they bothered with the complex setup. LeBoeuf and Monaghan are congenial enough leads, but both of them take a backseat to over-directed action sequences, while trying desperately to inject some feeling into their characters. It's not without its moments, but ultimately you've seen all of this before. Moderately enjoyable but instantly forgettable, LeBoeuf needs to up his quality control to cement his A-list status.

Review by Mike Sheridan