Review: Eye in the Sky

Kill first, protocol later.

Eye in the Sky spans three countries. In England, we have Col Katherine Powell (Helen Mirren) who has been tracking an English citizen turned extremist for six years, and has finally found her in Nairobi. She's holed up in a house with a bunch of explosives and two men putting on suicide bomber vests. General Frank Benson (Alan Rickman) is also in England, communicating with Powell while he sits in the room with the Attorney General and other powerful members who are not used to war. On the ground in Africa is Jama Farah (Barkhad Abdi) who is flying a little beetle with a camera inside to see what the terrorists are doing. In the United States, there's Steve Watts (Aaron Paul) and Carrie Gershon (Phoebe Fox) who are operating a drone high in the sky above the house. But when they're given orders to shoot, conscience gets in the way and everyone finds themselves between a rock and hard place.

Without the cast, I'm not sure if I would've seen a film like this. It's gotten zero marketing, and I wasn't even 100% sure what it was about going in. I just knew that I wanted to see Alan Rickman again, and I'm glad I did. I'm not sure I've ever seen a "war movie" that's taken place solely in front of computers. You would think something like this would be stagnant but it manages to be very intense and keeps you on the edge of your seat a few times. 

It's sad watching Rickman, knowing we won't hear that beautiful voice of his in anything new after this and Alice Through The Looking Glass. He's good here, his character is a soldier so he keeps it calm even when he's in a room full of indecisive cabinet members. Helen Mirren is fierce as Powell. She commands so much power that she subtly imposes on the people below her. Aaron Paul, man, no one cries like Aaron Paul. He does so much with his eyes, it's just wonderful. It's nice to see Barkhad Abdi again, even if he doesn't get to stretch his acting talents very much. Other actors are a bit wasted, Iain Glen shows up, quite literally, to take a shit and deflect a question. 

Eye in the Sky is a quite little thriller, but one that should definitely be seen.

Recommended: Yes

Grade: B

Memorable Quote: "Never tell a soldier he doesn't know the cost of war." - Ge Frank Benson (Alan Rickman)