Eagle Eye

In the beginning there where two Shias... A badass action typhoon that would make even the most resilient veteran’s hair stand on end. It should have said at the beginning the not too distant future and not “next year" so that it wouldn’t seem so dumb in places, but so what. This movie isn’t trying to take an IQ test. It’s trying to blow up. This was probably the biggest badass in Shia’s whole career but he just played (me) a slothful layabout with no ambition. Michelle Monaghan was perfect for her role and Billy Bob Thornton sometimes reminded me of Clint Eastwood (aka Dirty Harry). D.J. Caruso did an excellent job and if I were a little younger I would give it 5. "Coffee machines have timers..." (11/07/2008)

Risk of spoilers When a murderous computer appears in Buffy or The X-Files, fans (not without reason) classify such episodes as worse. When a fighter plane in Stealth starts thinking for itself, it becomes a flop that the public loves to mock. And when a giant central security computer in Eagle Eye starts causing trouble for the American government and tries to take the fate of the world into its own hands, it becomes a hit. A significant portion of the user community may consider the plot to be infinitely dull, but with pleasure they give the film a positive rating, saying that the ride was worth it. Unfortunately, it wasn't. I would much rather see more of Shia as a poker teacher or as the confidant of a lonely mother in a cargo box. I don't mean to say that he doesn't suit the gun, but in such moments we get too close to falling telegraph poles, makeshift lists of future victims, and sound vibrations reflecting off a mug. Caruso's first unfortunate stumble, which unfortunately marked his career with bad luck. (12/15/2008)

A cold Hollywood calculation “for one week" without any other ambitions than earning money fast and being forgotten even faster? Unarguably. On the other hand, it could have made good viewing. Yes, Caruso evidently likes Hitch, probably saw Space Odyssey and just loves movies like Enemy of the State. Which shows that he has taste, but says nothing about his talents. The beginning isn’t at all bad, but Caruso’s sprint runs out of breath half way through already. And during the true American finish, Eagle Eye commits harakiri at a moment when the end isn’t yet in sight. Shia is excellent as always, even though he was playing exactly the same role for about the seventh time over. But there are a few moments where I gets going (in the first half), so for a very forgettable, almost solid routine movie it’s just enough. By a very narrow hair’s breadth. (10/07/2008)

At first glance, it is a very unusual and unconventional hi-tech thriller, but it gradually turns into a clumsy and ultimately even banal action movie, which has a brutally fast pace, technical gizmos better than in the once so expensive Die Hard 4, restless camera, and fantastically filmed explosions and car accidents. But beneath all this cool decoration, there is a single, even banally simple blow with an iron rod. At the end, you are certainly very entertained, unfortunately in a negative sense. The first half is thrilling, unpredictable, and skillfully shot. (12/27/2008)

A stupid film that tries to mask its stupidity with (stupid) action scenes and (even stupider) wannabe funny and cool dialogues. For some the fil has enough to satisfy, for other it does not. I belong to the latter, as you can tell by my rating. I can't deny that the film flew by quickly, but the vast majority of what happened in it was so terribly naive and stupid at the same time that I wanted to scream "Steven Spielberg, how could you!". If only it didn’t take itself so seriously! Eagle Eye was originally supposed to be some kind of hi-tech Hitchcock thing. But in the end it's just plain rubbish. Brr.__P.S. I miss science fiction among the genres. Stupid sci-fi. (09/03/2011)