 "Photo: Courtesy of DreamWorks SKG")
“Eagle Eye” is painful to watch. In spite of its very few redeeming qualities, this film – the latest from the actor-director team of Shia LaBeouf and D.J. Caruso – not only hurts the eyes, but also the stomach and brain.
“Eagle Eye” follows Jerry Shaw (LaBeouf) – a slacker and twin brother of an Air Force officer – and single mother Rachel Holloman (Michelle Monaghan) as they receive phone calls from a mysterious woman ordering them to commit criminal acts. When they become fugitives, they are pursued by FBI agent Thomas Morgan (Billy Bob Thornton) and Air Force special agent Zoe Perez (Rosario Dawson).
There is little good about “Eagle Eye,” but the most apparent positive element of the film is Thornton’s performance. Thornton’s character is one of his least outlandish, but his deliveries of lines like “you’ll all be demoted to something that involves picking up sh*t with your hands” are always impressive. Also impressive is Tom Sanders’ production design, in which he conceived very detailed and imaginative sets for the films’ many chase scenes.
Now, for the not-so-good stuff. “Eagle Eye” is painful to the eyes for several reasons, the most obvious of which is the film’s lighting. Most of the opening act takes place in a dark room at the Pentagon, where it is difficult to make out the actors’ expressions, much less their faces. This remains a problem throughout the movie, but what is more disturbing is that there are very few expressions from the actors to see. LaBeouf and Monaghan, along with the majority of the supporting cast, phone in their performances with four basic emotions: happiness, dread, alarm and fear.
“Eagle Eye” is also likely to give much of its viewers motion sickness due to the shakiest and most nauseating camerawork since “The Bourne Ultimatum.” This becomes most problematic during the chase scenes when 1) it is difficult to understand what is happening and 2) it is difficult not to hurl.
The body part which “Eagle Eye” gives the most pain, however, is the brain. Without giving away plot spoilers, suffice it to say much of this story is nonsensical, even for a film with a slight science-fiction undertone. It is also insulting how many plot points and shots Caruso steals from a certain unnamed Alfred Hitchcock film about a government conspiracy and a certain unnamed Stanley Kubrick film about technology run amuck.
For everyone out there, except the masochists, avoid the pain “Eagle Eye” induces at all costs. However, for those who must see it, it is best to bring a couple of pain relievers to take during/after the film, as well as a designated driver for the ride back from the theater.
Grade: F
