Movie Review: "Red Eye" (2005)

I have been raving about Red Eye for the past few weeks and I finally got to see it yesterday. Wes Craven 's take on the thriller genre after years of becoming the poster boy for contemporary horror (A Nightmare on Elm Street, the Scream movies and uggh, Cursed) has not escaped its share of skepticism and doubt. Although he has attempted to move out of the horror genre before, he has done so with lackluster reviews from both the audience and the critics.

Lisa Reisert (Rachel McAdams) is a busy hotelier with a flight to catch. Her father (Brian Cox) is always worried about her and calls her on the phone a lot. She takes the Red Eye (last flight of the day) home to Miami from Texas and bumps into Jackson Rippner (Cillian Murphy). They chat for a while during the waiting hours of their delayed flight and when the time finally comes, it turns out they share the same aisle in the plane. The thing is. Its not a coincidence. Rippner is tasked by his 'superiors' to force Lisa to adjust a hotel accomodation for a VIP who happens to be a Homeland Security Officer and a target for assasination. If she does not
do what Rippner says, her father gets killed. What follows is a Hitchcock like tale of paranoaia, claustrophobia and a whole lot of Rachel McAdams.

One of the best ways this movie really, really delivered is that it makes you 'feel' the flight. I'm sure most of you have been in a plane and that some of you have flown in shaky weather (I was in a Cebu Pacific last year bound for Cebu and ran head on with Typhoon 'Rosing') you know how 'that' felt like. The liftoff noise, the air pocket turbulence, the annoying co-passengers, even the standard seatbelt protocol was followed to a T. There are a number of teeth cringing scenes involving Lisa trying to weasel her way out out the forced deal but eventually getting caught by Rippner's professional prying eyes, courtesy of Cillian Murphy's psychotic set of piercing blues.




Craven's attention to detail is also evident in some key parts of the film. Aside from the almost taut plotline, he pays close attention to the tiniest details like the wounds on Lisa hands while holding her lawn hockey stick.

The lead actors are exceptional in their roles. Rachel Mc Adams has applied her 'if you feel it, the audience can see it' acting philosophy quite effectively. Aside from being drop dead gorgeous, she has the potential to become one of Hollywood's new leading ladies. Cillian Murphy's quiet insanity and charisma generates both a scary and likeable character at the same time.
Oh, by the way, Brian Cox was terrible as the dad, which I think, contributed largely to the below par ending. He was obviously miscast. They should have given it to some nice unknown character actor. Its just that he's just more effective as a bad guy.

Red Eye may not be a perfect movie, but despite its flaws, it does what movies should do, entertain the nuts out of you for one hour and a half.




Rocketboy's Rating: ***(3 out of 5)