Rating: 2.5 Pulses
Shia LaBeouf, Michelle Monaghan, Billy Bob Thornton, Rosario Dawson
Directed by D.J. Caruso
Rated PG-13
Nothing makes one miss the peak of the summer action movie season more than the more reviled and recycled action movies of the fall months. But can a film with Hollywood’s fastest rising star, Shia LaBeouf, and an executive producer credit for Steven Spielberg break the autumn doldrums for one fleeting weekend?
Eagle Eye sees the reuniting of LaBeouf with D.J. Caruso, director of last year’s surprise hit Disturbia.
In Eagle Eye, Shia plays Jerry Shaw: the every-man who is working a dead-end job, struggling to make rent, and is a victim of having lived in his brother’s shadow his entire life. A phone call from a mysterious voice changes things though, and in the process throws him together with Rachel Holloman (Monaghan). They are now being tracked and instructed by this voice using all forms of technology imaginable, becoming the country’s most wanted fugitives along the way. To reveal any more details will certainly give away some fairly important plot points.
What the film ultimately comes down to being is a standard thrill ride that LaBeouf carries with relative ease. He’s the most in-demand young actor right now for a reason: he brings charisma to his characters, even if they’re mostly cut from the same cloth at this stage in his career. This will need to be the last of the second-rate action films he takes on, though, in order to live up to the potential that has been built around him. Billy Bob Thornton provides ample support to the cast as the government agent in charge of the manhunt to capture Jerry and Rachel, despite having to hold back some of his trademark humor due to the film’s PG-13 rating.
The downside to the film is that it not only requires zero thought but it also insists upon it, so if you can get over that hump then you’re probably going to enjoy the film until you forget about it in a few weeks. The plot is patched together in order to pull off the intention of the filmmakers to suspend your disbelief. More often than not, it works. When it doesn’t though, you’ll be wondering why this film wasn’t made several years ago when not only Spielberg had originally intended to have it made, but also when the topic of government surveillance of the public was one of the country’s most discussed controversies.
In a nutshell, if you enjoyed Disturbia, you’re a fan of Shia, and/or you’re looking for a fall action movie that’s slightly above par for a change, check out Eagle Eye. If you want something more realistically relevant and a little lighter on the political overtones, you may want to avoid it.
