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Techtite's DVD Reviews! |
"a total Xeroxed retread of stories seen a dozen times before." --from the review ------------- Sidebar :: ------------- No Sidebar Comments For This Review. Yet...
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EagleEye
A Review by TechtiteIn Eagle Eye; the latest high speed thriller, Shia LeBeouf is finally given the chance to be a lead star, not a "sidekick." Sure, he's starred in many big budget films lately, though he's mostly been the gangly teenager or the long-forgotten son of the lead character. Can he take on the lead? Simply put: yes, Shia LaBeouf does a good job. It's not his fault the movie itself isn't terribly good. Chalk this up to another "affectionate thumbs down," whose faults are within the writing, not the actors.The premise is hard to summarize, as you can guess from the trailers. Jerry Shaw (LeBeouf) gets a strange call from a woman who says he has been "activated." There is a whole arsenal of terrorist weapons in his apartment and the FBI are 30 seconds away. At the same time, a single mother named Rachel Holloman (Michelle Monaghan) received a similar call, that she is "activated" and this means her son, away on a field trip, will be killed unless she does what she is told. The two soon meet and must jump through hoops to do whatever the woman on the phone says. Things quickly get even more ominous than the above paragraph implies. Whomsoever is on the opposite end of the phone is keyed into every computerized device in the whole nation. During a high speed chase with the cops, streetlights change instantly so Jerry can avoid the cops and get to where he is ordered to go. Video surveillance cameras shut down wherever Jerry goes, as well as any automated locks. In one of the films best chase scenes, automated construction equipment smashes the cars in pursuit of Jerry and Rachel. It's obvious the person on the other end of the phone is well connected, extremely powerful, and quite desperate to make these two do what she wants...though who is she, and what is this about? That answer will have to wait, which spoilers intact, is a good thing. The most unique parts of this movie happen well before the "big reveal" of why all this is happening. The most memorable moments are when Jerry and Rachel try the initially obvious attempts to get this creepy phone-call-lady out of their lives, with spooky results. No sooner does Jerry simply throw away his cellular phone when the phone rings in the pocket of the guy sleeping right next to him...with an "answer me, Jerry" message on the Phone. When Rachel tries to simply call 911, her call is jammed and the lady on the end of the line says very coldly, do not try that again. It's a shame that the "big reveal" is such a letdown, because had it been as grandiose as the story preceding it, this could have been the fall movie season's biggest hit. Yet spoilers intact, the big reveal is not only a washout; it's a total Xeroxed retread of stories seen a dozen times before. So overused is this story: it was even used on one of last year's most popular video games! Without giving too much away: some viewers might also feel lied to by the trailers, as an alleged spy thriller slowly becomes a B-Grade sci-fi cliché. While retreads are typical; when they are used you had better bring something new to the table, or else what was the point? At least the casting agent did the right thing here, based on the great acting performances. Shia and Michelle make an excellent team, and are both effective, sympathetic lead characters. The FBI, who are hot on Jerry's trail, are led by a no nonsense agent named Thomas Morgan, in a role brilliantly performed by Billy Bob Thornton. These three lead performances are so well done, it's a shame that there isn't a well done script to go with them. So is this basically a good film whose faults are entirely due to the writers? Not necessarily. Director D.J. Caruso (Disturbia) makes a few missteps here and there. For one; Caruso allows for very little romance in this story. Yes, these two characters are in a tense situation, though I've seen romantic tension even in films like Speed, where the two lead characters are on a bus that's about to explode. Yeah; Jerry doesn't want to take advantage of the situation, though...why not? I've heard of "perfect gentlemen" though I've also heard of "really boring movies." While I will not spoil the ending to this movie by any means, it's pretty clear at this point that a film this flawed is not going to "redeem" itself in the last five minutes. Yet I must warn some viewers that the ending is not only cliché, though is terribly phoned-in. It's as if the real ending was 5 minutes earlier and test screenings demanded a tacked-on epilogue that the actors seemingly rush through to get home to their families. Thanks for watching! Now move along.
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