L'oeil du mal

Eagle Eye is a well-paced, action-packed popcorn movie up at the same level as most of Shia LeBouf's other movies. It had just enough mystery to keep a intellectual interest throughout the explosions, horrific deaths (though, of course, the rating meant they were off-screen), and originally awkward interaction between the two main characters. While an attentive viewer will guess most of the "surprises" before they are revealed, the question as to how the movie will ultimately end makes up for any disappointment.

The acting was better than expected, the storyline as original as it could hope to be, and, all in all, it is certainly a movie I suggest to fans of action, Shia, or government conspiracies.

Steven Spielburg is just hitting out blockbusters 3 times a year at least at the moment and this outing is definitely not different. The film is exciting, well acted and has been well thought out and directed.

The film is about a slacker who gets drawn into a government scandal by a mysterious voice on a cell phone along with the mother of a young child who is performing at the white house and they eventual find themselves running from not only the machine, but the whole country of America as well. This leads to a very good movie I would definitely recommend to any movie goer.

Anyway, Shia Labeouf is very good in this film and helps hold it together with Billy Bob Thornten, who, I must admit actually did a good job in this film.

Overall, I think this film is a good watch and a good movie to watch with friends. It really does show that Steve is one of the masters of Hollywood. I rate it 74%

Jerry Shaw (Shia LaBeouf) is a slacker underachiever. His twin brother dies. Then strange things start happening like a fortune in his bank account, massive amounts of weapons in his apartment, a phone call telling him to leave before the police, and the FBI crashing into his home. Jerry is arrested by Agent Thomas Morgan (Billy Bob Thornton). Rachel Holloman (Michelle Monaghan) is a single mom. A phone call gives her instructions threatening to kill her son. Meanwhile the phone calls keep coming guiding the pair to some unknown objective.

There is some good action going on, and a whole lot of outrageous insanity. It struggles between realism and paranoid fantasy. The movie aims to go so fast with so much action that the audience doesn't have time to think about logic or reason. Then it gets even more complicated and it's too much. It seems like a simple story would be so much better. The movie kept going and going. At some point in the last half hour, the movie needs to end. It's just got too much.

The "technology is everywhere" idea for "Eagle Eye" was hatched several years ago from the brilliant mind of executive producer Steven Spielberg. He wanted to do for electronic devices what he successfully did for sharks in "Jaws." People feared going to the water after watching Spielberg's 1975 masterpiece but I doubt they will stop using technology because of "Eagle Eye."

Yet, the film succeeds in instilling paranoia. It may not have reached the cinematic tension of "Jaws," but you will still feel suspicious about your cell phones, laptops, and GPS. Is Big Brother watching? In "Eagle Eye," it's Big Sister who's doing all the controlling. Her soothing but commanding voice (Julianne Moore in an uncredited role) is manipulating people into doing exactly what she wants them to do. Her motivation may be patriotic, but the means by which she carries out her duties can be considered terroristic.

Acting as Big Sister's unwilling puppets are Shia LaBeouf and Michelle Monaghan. Their characters unite to figure out who's the person behind Big Sister's voice.

In his first adult leading man role, LaBeouf stars as Jerry Shaw, a copy clerk in Chicago who's detached from his family. Compared to his successful twin brother, an Air Force public relations officer, Jerry is an underachieving loser with no ambition or dreams.

When his brother gets killed in a car crash, Jerry's life takes a drastic turn for the worse. Suddenly, huge amounts of bomb-making materials show up at his apartment, which prompt the FBI, headed by Agent Thomas Morgan (the scene-stealing Billy Bob Thornton), to label Jerry a terrorist.

Meanwhile, Monaghan's Rachel is busy being a single mom. Her little boy is off to Washington, D.C. to play for the President in his school band. That night, Rachel is enjoying an all-girls night out when she receives "the" call. Her child's life is in danger, if she doesn't follow directions precisely.

"Rachel Holloman you have been activated," says the soothing voice on the other end of the line. "Your compliance is vital. We will derail your son's train unless you do what you're told!" Cue action-packed music.

Directed by D.J. Caruso, LaBeouf's partner-in-crime in "Disturbia," "Eagle Eye" is a non-stop action-thriller that's frenetic, chaotic, and at times, overwhelming. Get ready to be assaulted by quick edits and jerky camera movements – a barrage of sights and loud sounds which sometimes culminates into mind-blowing special effects.

Amidst all the noise, the quiet performance by "The Shield's" Michael Chiklis as Defense Secretary Callister stands out as the heart of the movie. You can see that a world of responsibilities rests upon his shoulders.

I also enjoyed the chemistry between LaBeouf and Monaghan. The romantic tension is evident albeit inferred. If this is an 80s movie, the actors would have made love, with guns a' blazing and a Journey soundtrack playing in the background.

The biggest element I liked about "Eagle Eye" is its strong "what if" factor. The hi-tech central plot of the film doesn't feel like science fiction. Spielberg's imagination is truly ahead of his time. He conjured up this scenario long before cell phones, laptops, and GPS rule the world. So get off of your computer and watch "Eagle Eye." And for that, "Eagle Eye" gets 3 "Big Sister's Watching" kisses.

Yeah, there is a bit of 2001 Space Odyssey, I Robot, Bourne Supremacy--any movie that has computers, surveillance, and government, coupled with unwilling participants. But it works. It does. Don't let the naysayers dispel you from a movie worth watching. Who cares if Spielberg favors Shia? I couldn't think who else could duck cars, cranes, the FBI, and still crack a joke that fits right in place. From Holes to Eagle Eye, Shia proves worth watching (okay, I Robot, was a bit silly). Eagle Eye does start out fresh and exciting in the beginning, gets a little boggy in the middle, and is soft at the end--BUT, it is still worth the admission price. You won't want to leave at anytime during the movie, the pace is so tightly executed. The stunt action is primo--the car crashes alone are standout. And the chase scene in the airport conveyor system is something else. The whole question of do we have too much technology is the theme. Don't forget to leave your cell phone at home.