Review of Red Eye

Introduction

Lisa Reisert (Rachel McAdams) is a young hotel manageress-type who meets a stranger, Jackson Rippner (Cillian Murphy), when her plane is delayed and she is re-routed. Reisert than finds herself seated next to Rippner, a coincidence that initially takes her aback before they both settle into cosy conversation as the flight take off.

Once in the air, however, things take a turn for the worse as Rippner tells Reisert that she has to follow his instructions or her father will die. Senator William Keefe (Jack Scalia) is staying at her hotel and Rippner needs her to authorise a move for the Senator to a room more condusive for an assassination attempt. Reisert is torn between her loyalty to her father and concern for the Senator, attempting to thwart Rippner when opportunities arise. Rippner starts to lose patience and a tense stand-off between the pair develops.

Rippner has promised that he will deliver instructions to the hitman posted outside her father`s house once the plane has landed and he gets word that Keefe is dead. Reisert has other ideas though…

Video

Good clear picture but nothing too impressive.

Audio

5.1 track that doesn`t stretch your speakers too much as this is essentially a dialogue-driven film. A couple of scenes do explode, one quite literally, from the surrounds and are quite impressive. No DTS though. Good subtitles across all the features. The score from Michael Beltrami is suitably driving.

Features

Commentary from Wes Craven, producer Marianne Madelena and editor Patrick Lussier

Making Of - short EPK, the usual fluff

Wes Craven: A New Kind Of Thriller - not sure where anyone got the idea for the title from, but still. As above, the two could easily have been combined. Both also contain massive plot spoilers so watch the film before hitting either of these.

Gag Reel - is it just me, or are gag reels supposed to be funny?

Previews - hmmm, just a trailer for Just Like Heaven; not sure why it wasn`t just labelled as such

Conclusion

Well, it`s clearly not a new type of thriller. It just happens that the complete second act is set on an aeroplane, and it isn`t the first film or even the only recent one which uses a similar setting.

On the other hand it is quite a taut and relatively fast-paced film with some decent acting. Cillian Murphy is certainly menacing enough, more so when he finds himself struggling to breathe. McAdams, in her first real lead role, does well, although her transformation into a female Bruce Willis at the denouement is a little unsettling. Brian Cox is underused and also a lot thinner than I`ve seen previously (and with red hair…). Jayma Mays is the comic relief as the slightly dippy receptionist who relies on McAdams character to solve her work issues, and she does this well with an important albeit obvious life-saving task to perform.

I do have a few problems with this film though. First off, I don`t believe that the conversations between the two leads on a plane would not have been overheard at all. There is no way that anyone seated around them would not have heard anything, and virtually all of the conversation was conducted at normal speaking levels. On top of that, I find it harder to believe that not only would someone have noticed Murphy headbutting McAdams, people around her must have heard her head bounce off the fuselage, it was quite a crack. Yet another problem I have is around the insinuation of a Mile High Club situation by one of the stewardesses when told by the obligatory cute little girl that Murphy has followed McAdams into the toilet. Unless US policy is completely different to that of the UK, then surely a stewardess would not only have been waiting outside the toilet for their exit, but also report the duo for `conduct unbecoming` or something.

Still quibbles aside, if you take your brain out and pretend that you can be enclosed in your own private world on a commercial airliner then it works ok. The whole scenario on the plane is quite tight in terms of tension and drama, which is quite a good thing seeing as it`s the main focus of the film. I wouldn`t say it`s anything particularly new or special, but it`s a competent thriller even with the completely over the top ending as McAdams suddenly discovers an untapped talent for unarmed combat against an experienced mercenary.

So just watch your manners next time you stay in a hotel and want to complain…