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Eye in the Sky

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Eye in the Sky (2016)

March. 11,2016
|
7.3
|
R
| Drama Thriller War
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A UK-based military officer in command of a top secret drone operation to capture terrorists in Kenya discovers the targets are planning a suicide bombing and the mission escalates from “capture” to “kill.” As American pilot Steve Watts is about to engage, a nine-year old girl enters the kill zone, triggering an international dispute reaching the highest levels of US and British government over the moral, political, and personal implications of modern warfare.

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Reviews

Wordiezett
2016/03/11

So much average

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Intcatinfo
2016/03/12

A Masterpiece!

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Forumrxes
2016/03/13

Yo, there's no way for me to review this film without saying, take your *insert ethnicity + "ass" here* to see this film,like now. You have to see it in order to know what you're really messing with.

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Catangro
2016/03/14

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

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strike-1995
2016/03/15

Hitchcock for the modern gamer. A moral issue so important, subtlety is erroneous.

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proud_luddite
2016/03/16

A British military operation works with the U.S. and Kenya to prevent a suicide bombing by known terrorists in Nairobi. The efforts for a drone attack are thwarted as an innocent nearby civilian could possibly be killed in the attack."Eye in the Sky" is neither pro-war nor anti-war. Or maybe it could be called both. The various arguments on all sides are compelling and credible. The viewer feels as conflicted as most of the characters in the film.There are two characters who have no qualms on where they stand. On one side is a British military colonel (Helen Mirren) who believes the attack should go ahead regardless of civilian casualties. On the other side is a British political official (Monica Dolan) who believes there must be no risk at all of civilians being killed. (Interestingly, these characters never confront each other.) In between is everyone else in the military, political and legal spectrums who debate the dilemma: is it okay for a small number of innocents to be killed if it can prevent more innocents to be killed later on? Despite some extreme views, the viewer rarely if ever feels judgment toward any of the characters. Their humanness is real.As decisions must be made quickly due to time constraints, "Eye in the Sky" is a thriller. It could also be considered a suspense where one of the mysteries is who is right and who is wrong. Guy Hibbert's screenplay is very rich in its moral questions, making this film's story superior to the many other military films of recent years. It includes a relevant topic and very powerful dialogue. Even the details of fundamentalist bullies in Nairobi are subtle with their impact. It is also notable for showing a believable (and non-propagandistic) human side to those in the military who must make extremely difficult decisions.Director Gavin Hood keeps the tension alive with astute skill. The detailed use of advanced spying technology is also thrilling. In addition to Mirren and Dolan, the rest of the cast contribute greatly to this fine production especially the late, great Alan Rickman. In the final scene, he delivers a line that is the perfect conclusion for a great film.OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT: Screenplay by Guy Hibbert

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peter-26111
2016/03/17

Good acting but so over the top in terms of moral dilemmas Don't want to spoil things but very unrealistic especially when military men start to challenge direct orders

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gcastles-35417
2016/03/18

The Trolley Problem is a sociological experiment where an individual is asked how they would respond to an unfolding tragedy. In this, the individual is positioned in a place where they can see a tram or trolley travelling towards a person working on the line. The person will be killed, unless you pull a lever which will send the trolley onto another track. Simple choice, yeah? Now imagine that there are people on both tracks, and either your action or inaction will result in deaths. Action may result in fewer deaths than inaction, but ultimately it comes down to how you think you will deal with the guilt of being directly responsible for x deaths versus being indirectly responsible for y deaths.Eye in the sky cleverly uses this idea in a way which is much more plausible: A drone strike on a terrorist cell hiding in a densely populated area. Helen Mirren is in charge of an international anti-terrorism operation in possession of intelligence indicating the location of some high level targets. Drone pilots Aaron Paul and Phoebe Fox are to fire the missile which will neutralise these targets. As the senior pilot, Paul is the one who must pull the trigger; however the potential for collateral damage is too high for his liking. At the same time, politicians overseeing the operation lack the will to give an order they feel will come back on them if it is unsuccessful. What follows is a first ever look into how the drone strikes we read about in the news every other day may weigh on the consciences of those who pilot them, and the political fallout from their actions. While the tension mounts, and the probability of success versus failure is calculated, Mirren struggles to straddle the two worlds in which she must convince the military brass and politicians that the action is necessary; and at the same time convince the team she has authority over that it is vital. The end result is a film where nobody escapes the emotional engagement of such an event and all must resolve their actions in their own ways. This was Alan Rickman's last onscreen performance as Mirren's boss, acting as the conduit between the operations centre and the politicians as they sit at antique furnishings drinking tea and try to avoid making any decision which they may be held accountable for. Paul condenses the emotional range he showed in Breaking Bad to provide a compelling illustration of the conflict in the mind of the man with his finger on the trigger. Mirren's dogged determination and self assuredness is the balance between the two conflicts, trying not to let either one derail the operation. And all the while, the people walking the streets of Nairobi unaware that their fates are being decided by people in far off lands. Eye in the Sky is both original and captivating. This is a fantastic way to bring modern warfare, fought not on battlefields but from offices in various parts of the world connected by communications technologies, to the big screen with tension and emotion.

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