Deceptively clever. I think that is a good way of describing this potential B-grade gem. Potential because I think it will take a few more viewings down the road to see how it holds up. With this initial viewing I found it to be rather tense and well acted little thriller. I also found it to be exactly not what I expected.
Knowing it was from director Wes Craven, and what I saw in the teaser trailer and the commercials led me to believe that there was to be some type of supernatural element. You see, the last thing in those commercials was a red overlay centering on actor Cillian Murphy's eyes. I thought for sure he was going to be some sort of soul collector. I was wrong, and that isn't a bad thing, it actually led to more anticipation as I realized I had been duped by the advertising. I applaud their sleight of hand trick, the wool was successfully pulled over my eyes, as well as at least one other reviewer (Quint over at AICN has a similar comment).
Red Eye clocks in at somewhere in the vicinity of 75 minutes, the brief runtime keeps a firm focus on our two leads. There is very little time given to back story. It is an interesting exercise in tightly wound suspense, keeping away from the trap of getting bogged down in exposition. The audience is only told what they need to know, nothing more.
The story, such as it is, involves a young woman, Lisa, traveling home from Texas to Miami. She happens to bump into a nice young man, Jack, who is also going to be on the same flight. Some good natured flirting takes place, then something happens and the flirtations take a dark turn. Our man Jack, needs Lisa in order to complete his mission and will go to any lengths needed. Jack isn't a nice man, in order to get what he wants he has her father under surveillance, and will have him killed if she doesn't cooperate.
The plot plays out in two parts, one stronger than the other, but each one displaying a different type of suspense. The first part plays out on the plane. This story starts out with the staple of romantic comedies, the meet cute. This builds into the revelation of Jack's ulterior motives. What follows is a battle of wills between the menacing mystery that is Jack, and the vulnerable strength displayed by our heroine. All of this taking place in the claustrophobic confines of an airplane, nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. The tone shifts once the plane lands, it becomes a bit of chase film, the claustrophobia is traded in for wide open spaces and more familiar territory for Lisa. It speeds towards it's conclusion, once we reach a resolution between Jack and Lisa, the film ends as there is nothing else needed.
This film does something else beside provide us with a tight little thriller. We are given a good look at two rising stars. This summer is providing ample proof, at least to me, of the growing star power of Rachel McAdams and Cillian Murphy. McAdams, besides being positively lovely, does a fine job giving us that balanced mix of vulnerability and strength. She gives the character a believability which allows us to connect with her and her plight. Earlier this summer she graced our screens in Wedding Crashers, looking forward to what's next. On the flip side, we have our villain, played with charming menace by Cillian Murphy. He does a wonderful job making us believe that he will do whatever it takes to achieve his goal. He showed some of his screen magnetism previously playing Scarecrow in Batman Begins. Taken together, you have an onscreen duo which has great chemistry and are successful at drawing you into their characters and the situation that they are in.
Would I have liked to know more about Jack's employers and his mission? Yes. Would I have liked to know more about this politician and his family? Yes. Would I have liked to see more of Brian Cox as Lisa's father? Yes. Would I have liked the teased supernatural element? Yes. Is any of that necessary for this film? No. Did not having it damper my enjoyment? No. The success of this film lies in that tight focus and strength of chemistry in the leads.
Wes Craven has done a fine job of giving us a wound up thriller that doesn't waste time getting into the thick of things. He knows what strings to pull and what parts of the story are not necessary and still get the job done. He has had a mixed bag of a career, and this isn't at the top of his catalog, but it is a fine example of suspenseful film making. It was written by first time feature writer Carl Ellsworth, who writes some good dialog, especially those interactions on the plane.
Bottomline. I like the tight focus, all too often films will get bogged down in the telling of the story that we lose who the characters are. Here we lose that story and gain a stronger picture of our leads reactions. It may not have been what I was expecting, but it still succeeds at what it sets out to do, deliver a wound up suspense film.
Recommended.
Also at Blogcritics.
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