Eagle Eye DVD Review

Posted by Shawn S. Lealos on 12.29.2008

In a movie full of non-stop action, is there anything of substance left in the end?

Directed By: D.J. Caruso
Written By: John Glenn, Travis Adam Wright, Hillary Seitz, Dan McDermott
Cinematography By: Dariusz Wolski
Music Composed By: Brian Tyler

Cast
Shia LaBeouf ... Jerry Damon Shaw / Ethan W. Shaw
Michelle Monaghan ... Rachel Holloman
Rosario Dawson ... Zoe Perez
Michael Chiklis ... Defense Secretary George Callister
Ethan Embry ... Agent Toby Grant
Billy Bob Thornton ... Agent Thomas Morgan
William Sadler ... William Shaw



The Film

The last time D.J. Caruso and Shia LaBeouf hooked up we got the very good Disturbia. It was a carbon copy remake of the even better Alfred Hitchcock thriller Rear Window. This is their second outing and is another movie with strong Hitchcockian ties. This time the movie they are lifting ideas from is North by Northwest, a paranoid thriller where an everyman is thrown into an incredible situation of which he has no control. There is even a scene that harkens back the famous crop duster scene from the Hitchcock thriller.

In much the same way North by Northwest took the everyman and pitted him against both the good guys and the bad, Eagle Eye does it in the most ridiculous ways possible.

The movie preaches paranoia jacked up to the highest level. There are numerous shots of cameras watching people. A radio announcer announces early in the movie that the government can track your every movement through your cell phone. Everything in the movie is full of the pounding realization that no matter who you are or where you are, “they” can track you.

Shia LaBeouf is Jerry, a normal guy who works at a copy shop. He is a disappointment to his father because, while his twin brother would become a great military man in the Air Force, Jerry never tried to achieve any level of success in life. Following the death of his brother thanks to a traffic accident, Jerry finds over $700,000 in his bank account and numerous items that make him appear to be a terrorist. He is arrested by the FBI and accused of being a national terrorist.

Michelle Monaghan is Rachel, a single mother whose son is leaving home for a short time for a musical performance. Jerry is mysteriously broken out of custody immediately following a phone call from a mysterious woman. He is led to Rachel, who received a phone call from the same woman and together the two are led on a strange journey where they can trust no one nor does anyone believe they can trust them.

The movie looses any chance of me believing in it during the first big action sequence. Let me first tell you the sequence was amazing. D.J. Caruso has an amazingly deft touch with action sequences but when those action sequences involve the type of absurd, over-the-top action of this chase there is no way anything that follows can be taken seriously at all. As great as the chase is, it was also the most ridiculous scene I have ever witnessed in my life.

The fact that this mysterious woman can control everything from a subway train changing directions to equipment in a junkyard coming to life to electrical wires collapsing and frying a man to a crisp is just too much to believe.

What saves this movie is the acting of LaBeouf. The guy can do it all. He takes this ridiculous concept and makes you care about the character in the story. The movie takes the idea from Enemy of the State and delivers it with absolutely no subtlety. Lucky for the film, Shia LaBeouf replaces Will Smith and we don’t miss a beat. The acting all around is solid. Billy Bob Thornton, Michelle Monaghan, Rosario Dawson and Michael Chiklis all turn in solid performances.

It is too bad nothing in the movie proves to be honest. While the comparison to North by Northwest is honest, the movie wants to be an updated version of 2001: A Space Odyssey. The movie takes the idea of National Security and adds the paranoia of the fact computers can track our every move. The movie is a fun thrill ride, akin to a roller coaster, but it is as brainless as an amusement park ride. This is a movie with nothing between its ears despite wanting to be full of huge ideals. It is a farce and, if watched with your brain turned off, will offer a good time. Just don’t expect anything more.


The Video

I have started to spoil myself with the high definition glory of Blu-Ray but this standard edition DVD looks great. The action sequences are clear and concise and it looks really, really good.

The Audio

The sound on a picture like this needs to be great. The music and sound effects are never overpowering to the dialogue and the Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound is strong. Once again, another great output from a standard DVD.

The Packaging

It comes in a regular DVD case and the cover scan is decent.

The Extras

Deleted Scenes (03:36) - There are three, short meaningless scenes that add nothing to the movie.

Road Trip: On Location with the Cast and Crew (03:05) - This may sound like a featurette but is nothing more than an extremely short fluff piece about the fast pace of shooting the movie in a large amount of different settings. It just exists to explain how many sets were used in the film. It is a worthless feature.


The Film:. 6.0/10.0
The Video: 10.0/10.0
The Audio: 10.0/10.0
The Packaging: 7.0/10.0
The Extras: 2.0/10.0

The 411: D.J. Caruso is shaping up to be one of the next big things as a director and Shia LaBeouf proves everyday to be one of the greatest young talents working today. Unfortunately, their second outing as a team proves to be nothing more than a big, dumb movie that offers nothing more than heart pounding action. It wants to be more than it really is but never succeeds to be anything more than paranoid propaganda. I wanted this movie to be something great but all I got was something exciting but below average.

Final Score:  6.5   [ Average ]