Director D.J. Caruso’s new film “Eagle Eye” offers the excitement of a late-night joy ride, and it lasts throughout the film’s two hours.
Shia Labeouf takes his role as Jerry Shaw, a 20-something-year-old who struggles to make ends meet but refuses to go back to Stanford. Shaw faces the tragic death of his twin brother, and then is cast into a whirlwind of events set up by a mystery female caller. He is chased out of his apartment, detained by the FBI, jumps onto a subway and is put in a high speed pursuit that weaves through traffic.
Caruso joins up with Shia Labeouf for a second time since Disturbia in 2007 to market another picture for the teen-to-early-twenties demographic. Although Caruso’s newest film is exciting, it also lacks a level of integrity and plot creativity. “Eagle Eye” starts off in a Middle Eastern nation where the United States Army is looking for a terrorist mastermind, a story line that has been overused in recent years.
The action sequences in the film still consist of the special effect-ridden screen jumping and rolling camera effects that create a scene where the audience can barely see what’s going on.
Spoiler alert: the most irritating aspect to this film is the revelation that the great mastermind that calls all the shots turns out to be (surprise, surprise) a computer. The saddest part is that the computer is designed by a the government. There are enough films that feature a government tearing itself apart. Add the addition of spotty dialogue, and you still have a delightful two hours of entertainment.
Another dramatic performance by the often-controversial Shia Labeouf helps keep this film alive. Yes, he cries again and he even throws his little temper tantrums, but it would not be a Labeouf role if he didn’t. Labeouf is backed up on the screen by Michelle Monaghan, who dives into her role as a mother worrying about her son who was kidnapped by the “evil genius.” Though her distress is awkward at times, she keeps the attention of the audience. Rosario Dawson, Billy Bob Thornton and Michael Chiklis are all featured in the film as government agents, each of which have a different perspective on the rampaging Labeouf and Monaghan.
With a strong alignment in casting and an action-packed story line, this film will keep your attention and is likely to leave you satisfied as the credits roll across the screen.
Jay Homan can be reached at [email protected].
