Red Eye (2005)
(In theaters, August 2005) I have some admiration for “high-concept” movies, or films that actually dare to take a risk in the quest for a few more thrills. Red Eye is one of those films, deliberately locking itself in an airliner and reducing the drama to a series of conversation between two people sitting next to each other. It’s pure thriller stuff, well-handled through the crafty professionalism of director Wes Craven. Not coincidentally, the film’s interest level goes down along with the plane, and the post-landing segment steadily degenerates into another crazy-killer-in-big-house sequence stolen straight from the Scream series. That part isn’t so good, but if you can leave before the movie’s last ten minutes, you’ll come out with the pleasant feeling of a slick and well-handled thriller. Rachel McAdams finally gets a good role beyond looking pretty, and Cilian Murphy is less annoying than usual as the smooth-talking “operator”. Sure, the plot is packed full of holes. But they’re not so annoying when you’re caught up in the on-screen tension. Could have been better, but it’s not too bad as it is.