A stock thriller with a touch of character
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The latest action/adventure/suspense film from horror-master Wes Craven flew (to get metaphorical early) right under my radar. In truth, when my erstwhile colleague Eddie Feng contacted me asking if I were going to review it, I honestly had no idea what it was about.
The opening scenes of "Red Eye" remind me quite substantially of a film I reviewed a couple months back, "Island in the Sky." We´re introduced to the key players one-by-one as they meet our protagonist, Lisa (Rachael McAdams). An angry passenger who is boarding the last flight out of Dallas, an elderly, seasoned traveler, and a sweet-yet-somewhat creepy seatmate Jackson Rippner (Cillian Murphy of "Batman Begins" fame). None of the characters are particularly well-built beyond familiar stock roots. That´s not to say they aren´t effective in fulfilling their purpose in building the suspense of the story; they just feel contrived. While it´s nice having the characters who play a minor role given a bit of a history (something I generally complain about), they really needed to have a better payoff and more time needed to be spent on a host of different plot points, which I´ll get to in a minute.
The plot progression, at least through the first twenty minutes, is painfully obvious. We´re introduced to people and personalities that will play a role in the narrative. The film seems routine and familiar and entirely too convenient.
Thankfully after the early turbulence (both metaphoric and literal) the film takes a turn for the intense as Jack´s true purpose comes out. He´s not out to hit on our dear Lisa; he´s using her to help facilitate a hit on a prominent politician who is staying at the hotel Lisa manages. Her seatmate, the increasingly ominous Jackson, needs her to help him complete his deadly mission. The obvious setups and payoffs are juxtaposed with false climaxes that get the audiences´ hopes up without a solid return on their emotional investment.
Returning to my earlier point about the characters and plot feeling derivative, director Wes Craven plays with the audience in ways that left me rolling my eyes in their sockets. The problem begins, I feel, with the script which plays like a nice short story that was extended far beyond need. As a result, the dialogue plays out unnaturally and sounds forced coming from the actor´s lips. Further, in an effort to heighten the tension, the filmmakers put Jackson´s target´s family in jeopardy with him. Because there are so many people in danger one is forced to wonder if Lisa is taking the proper course of action.
Thankfully the last twenty minutes take on a more active tone as Lisa battles the "forces of evil" to set right the events she was coerced to set wrong. Unfortunately it is as stupefyingly Summer Blockbuster or horror film as anything you´ll see. Craven does an admirable job with the material provided, but honestly there wasn´t much to work with on a script level. Each bit that is forecasted early in the film pays off, so the cogent observer will be rewarded; but it´s done so obviously that you really don´t even have to pay attention to be satisfied. Regardless, the film´s conclusion is far more exciting than the rest of the movie.
I have to compliment the look of the airplane in "Red Eye." I never thought for a moment that this wasn´t shot on an actual airplane. The look and feel was perfectly crafted and added a lot to the story by not reminding me that I was watching a "movie" airplane. I could feel the turbulence. Outstanding.
I feel like I´ve spent this entire review complaining about "Red Eye." I honestly didn´t think it was horrible; just not terribly original. The material ain´t exactly Shakespeare but the actors do a fine job with it anyway. There isn´t much chemistry between the two leads early and I´m not sure they were completely sure what was going on. Perhaps the confusion on their parts was part of the plot progression, perhaps it was a script that lacked depth. We never find out who Jackson Rippner is, nor who he works for, nor why he wants to kill a man named Keefe. We never find out who Keefe is or why he is worth killing. All the time dedicated to the little girl who serves only a line or two could have helped flesh out the metastory. It´s good to focus on the minutia, though advisable to do it only after the shell of the story has been completely designed.
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[release]17278[/release]