Red Eye

Craven’s best film; atmospheric, sophisticatedly written and, despite the minimal plot space, endlessly creative and entertaining in its direct psychological pressure and clever subplots. The sympathy for the protagonist, especially crucial in the final B-movie-oriented showdown, works great thanks to an excellent emotional performance by Rachel McAdams, while Cillian Murphy is terrifyingly convincing (or is it convincingly terrifying? ), and I really liked the clever manoeuvring of the moral dilemma of "not risking my father's life and being complicit in an assassination, or taking a risk and try to save everyone", even though the developments "on paper" are obvious from the start and essentially unsurprising. But as I said, the development "on camera" is amazingly attractive this time, the fifth star was not far away... (12/11/2015)

A lot of value for money. They managed to turn a shoddy script into a solid atmospheric plot, dominated by an outstanding antagonist played by Cillian Murphy, who possesses so much charisma that it's almost pretty, while Rachel McAdams fits in excellently with her adorable pout. As long as we're in the cramped spaces of the airplane, where the actors perform their magic in quick dialogues and psychological battles, it's okay. But as it approaches the end and they disembark from, the barrage of clichés begins and the quality declines. But it’s still at a decent level. (09/12/2014)

Craven still knows his stuff and I can’t wait for 25/8. The most interesting part of Red Eye takes place on the plane with the constant confrontation between the charismatic villain Cillian Murphy and the likeable Rachel McAdams. The final impression is brought down by the last half hour, but the culprit is the screenwriter and not Craven – I would have welcomed something harsher and more uncompromising. Otherwise, Red Eye is a pleasant and tense thriller that flows like water. (11/08/2008)

Although the direction is flawless, there are issues in the script, which in the end didn't avoid unsuccessful variations on classic genre clichés. Still, the director literally chips the tension out of more or less every shot and the work with the limited space of two seats on the plane is masterful and even the universally condemned ending doesn't lack proper gradation. Rachel McAdams sets herself up for a promising career as a pretty face with very developed acting potential, and Cillian Murphy already proved in Batman Begins that behind the face of an innocent-looking nice guy resides a villain of the heaviest caliber. It’s an absolutely minimized thriller from Phone Booth onwards, which would be perfect if it benefited from its originality throughout the entire runtime. Still, as it is, it’s a very above-average spectacle and many of its issues can be forgiven. (04/14/2006)

Another hugely emancipated thriller that apologizes for the eighties and nineties, or possibly just for Lars von Trier. Notwithstanding the fatal plan of the main villain, the heroine this time is mainly concerned with humiliating the oppressor rather than killing him, as therapy for the involuntary buttfuck she took three years ago and carries with her in the form of a scar over her breast. Just see if it's not a bit of a disservice to demonstrate the supremacy of female inscrutability over male pragmatic logic by sticking him in the throat with a pen (mightier than the sword) and transitioning from the mode of a tightly-written dialogue thriller on the stage of an airplane seat (where the man has the upper hand) into a B-grade final showdown at a house in the suburbs (where the woman has the upper hand). As an added bonus, most of the female users' ratings are limited to the godliness of Cillian Murphy and his eyes. So I guess I don't know. (11/05/2013)