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Strong cast of ‘Eagle Eye’ undermined by ludicrous plot

By Mitch Ringenberg
<mringenberg@hilite.org>

“Eagle Eye” is a film that begins with an interesting enough premise but quickly dies from a ludicrous plot, a lack of dimensional characters and an implausible ending so unbelievable that I left the theater feeling my intelligence had been insulted.

The movie’s plot mainly centers around a young man named Jerry Shaw, portrayed by Shia LaBeouf, who one night walks into his apartment to discover a boatload of nuclear weapons spread out across his home. Seconds later, he receives a phone call from a female voice telling him that the FBI are on their way to his apartment and he has a limited amount of time to escape.

Meanwhile, a single mother, played by Michelle Monaghan, starts receiving the same phone calls instructing her to complete various tasks and if she does not succeed, she and her son will be killed.

The supporting cast includes two wonderful members who are sadly given nothing to work with. Rosario Dawson, who is almost always a delight to watch, simply goes through the motions in a role that could have been played by anyone of equal or lesser talent. Billy Bob Thornton, who has shined in films such as “Sling Blade” and “Bad Santa,” seems bored in his role as an FBI agent, who suspects that there may be more to Shaw’s dilemma than meets the eye.

Many audience members will walk into “Eagle Eye” expecting a fun action flick, judging by the trailers, and will be severely disappointed by what they find here.

With such a talented group of people behind this film, I expected much more. D.J. Caruso, who directed last year’s surprisingly good “Disturbia,” obviously has the ability to create a much better film than “Eagle Eye” turned out to be. LaBeouf has proven his talent in earlier films, but here has no time between explosions to even act. Monaghan turned in the performance of her career in last year’s “Gone Baby Gone” but suffers from the same problem as LaBeouf.

The movie’s final act, involving a plot to assassinate a certain political figure, a trombone and an anti-climactic face-off, will leave moviegoers offended by its sheer ridiculousness.

As I’m writing this, I’m sure “Eagle Eye” is making gobs of money and being loved by pre-teens across the country. Unfortunately, these are the kinds of films that are popular today; rather than seeing a film that dazzles them visually or makes them think, they would prefer to see the equivalent of a video game on their screens. As for me, I would rather enjoy the satisfaction of a fine steak than the sugar rush of a Pixie Stix.

—

RATING: PG-13
GRADE: D-

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