“Eagle Eye”

Movie Review

By Kyle Kernan

Posted on Sept. 29, 2008, at 12:00 a.m.

Big Brother is watching you, and he’s in the shape of the ominous “Eagle Eye,” a computer surveillance program that probably knows your favorite brand of deodorant.

D.J. Caruso’s new film is an intense affair posing implications about the computer espionage age. It asks the question, with the high increase and sophistication of government surveillance in warfare and in our day-to-day lives, what happens if that surveillance becomes self-aware?

The computer orchestrating the events of the film is the reincarnation of Hal from “2001: A Space Odyssey.” In this case, the red, piercing eye of intelligence and oversight can delve into our lives through any computer. This doesn’t just mean via cell phones and convenience store cameras, but through satellites and your own personal computer.

Shia LeBeouf plays Jerry Shaw, who finds thousands of dollars in his checking account and an assortment of weapons, bombs and chemicals in his apartment. Soon he receives a mysterious phone call from a monotone woman, the voice of the Eagle Eye, giving him precise directions and observations about the world around him, even though no one else is there.

Soon the FBI – fronted by Billy Bob Thornton – is after Jerry as the computer guides him and a single mother named Rachel – Michelle Monaghan – through street lights, buildings and halfway across the U.S. to carry out a mission or face death, according to the unyielding Eagle Eye.

The communication between the voice behind the computer and the characters prompts tension and excitement. The viewer becomes engrossed in finding out how the Eagle Eye will maneuver the distressed characters away from danger at every turn. In one scene, the computer manipulates traffic lights and tells Jerry and Rachel the exact places to turn, to accelerate or to evade danger from police and FBI. In another situation, it triggers fire alarms in buildings to facilitate their escape.

The audience may become as exhausted from the action sequences as the characters. Development between Rachel and Jerry is sparse between the film’s jarring action segments, as they are too breathless and disoriented to make an authentic connection. Their relationship could use more attention, which would lead the audience to have a deeper emotional attachment for the characters. Instead, the viewer is likely to feel indifferent toward the protagonists’ fates.

There is little to no comedic insight in the film. The film is more serious and bleak than one would expect of a Shia LeBeouf film. His character is a subdued, depressed individual who may not hold favor with LeBeouf fans. He has few memorable moments, but they’re quickly forgotten when the credits roll.

Audiences may feel the overtones from the film are derivative from “Enemy of the State,” “Live Free or Die Hard” or even “The Matrix.” Even so, the implications and message the film tries to convey may convince viewers to think twice to who is listening, human or not.

Grade: B-

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