Red Eye, 2005

The movie itself is deceptively simple. It knows exactly what it?s trying to do, and it does it well. It never bogs itself down with details, character development, or the boring stuff that many thrillers succumb to. It starts off a little slow, but once the intensity ramps up, it doesn?t stop. The beginning of the movie, the part that takes place on the plane, was relatively original. Sure, movies have been made about suspense on a plane before, but Red Eye approached it a little differently. Cillian Murphy (how the heck does one pronounce his first name?) was subtle and devious as the kidnapper. Rachael McAdams was her usual gorgeous self, and also gave a convincing performance. If I had to guess, I?d say these two are going to become much bigger names in Hollywood over the next several years. They?re young and talented, with a lot of potential. They both seem to be making some fairly intelligent career decisions as far as script choices go, so I have a feeling we?ll be seeing much more of them. If Red Eye had a major weakness, it was the final act. The finale of the movie played out like a typical action movie ending. Bad guy chases good guy around house, but good guy finally wins. Well, in this case good girl. You see it coming, and then it plays out exactly like you expected. No surprises, nothing original, and a completely different tone than the movie?s first half. The script was strong going into the last act, but it really ran out of steam towards the end. That complaint aside, Red Eye is a decent thriller. It knows what it is, and never aims for anything else. The story moves quickly, even through the somewhat disappointing end. The performances are good, and Craven brings his obvious experience to the project, even if he does occasionally get caught up in his own stereotypes. Red Eye is worth seeing, and if you?re a Craven fan you?ll probably love it.

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