In 2014, Andrew Niccol’s Good Kill opened up a contemporary subgenre for war films, which is now being build upon with Gavin Hood’s drone thriller Eye in the Sky, starring Helen Mirren, Aaron Paul, Alan Rickman and Barkhad Abdi.
Colonel Katherine Powell (Helen Mirren) is leading a secret drone reconnaissance mission against a known terrorist group and in particular, a rogue British citizen turned terrorist. On the ground, she’s in communication with local Kenyan undercover agent Jama Farah (Barkhad Abdi) and with her superior in Whitehall Lieutenant General Frank Benson (Alan Rickman). Over in the U.S, drone pilot 2nd Lieutenant Steve Watts (Aaron Paul) has just taken control of the aircraft and is in communication with the Colonel. The situation quickly disintegrates as the terrorists move location and the orders change to kill. But when a local Kenyan girl suddenly enters the equation, the question of collateral damage comes into play.
Gavin Hood’s last two films; X-Men Origins: Wolverine and Ender’s Game were monsters, with budgets well over $100 million. Eye in the Sky is a much smaller, taughter and more intelligent thriller that could have so easily fallen into tedious territory. Instead, it embraces its subject matter and - thanks to writer Guy Hibbert - presents a much more morally ambiguous take on drone warfare than you would at first think. Where Good Kill hid the ethical dilemma of drone warfare behind a pilot’s souring relationship with his family, this film puts it right at the forefront, with the military legalities and political disputes all focusing on the potential collateral damage of the situation when a young girl selling bread enters the kill zone. But Hood makes a concerted effort to justify, or at the very least explain the reasoning for both firing the deadly missile or for not. What we get is a denouement similar to Gus Van Sant’s Elephant, unsure what to make of the final outcome it forces us to consider the impact long after the credits roll.
Eye in the Sky is a masterclass in taking a simple story with simple production values and using those elements to build tension from the get go. You will never be more stressed out watching a girl selling bread than you are here. Certainly its ability to hold your attention through what is essentially an hour and a half of phone conversations is down to the abilities of its four key leads. Helen Mirren brings a fiery rage to the film, with her Colonel acting in a front-lines mindset despite being in a small English bunker. Her much more reserved superior brings poise to the situation thanks to a balanced, memorable performance from the late great Alan Rickman. Aaron Paul’s all-too brief scenes mark certainly his best dramatic appearance since hanging up the gas-mask, and Barkhad Abdi is slowly making clear that he won’t be typecast from his Captain Phillips role.
There are certain elements of the film that are less believable, the Kenyan intel use insect and wildlife drones to capture information discreetly and whilst I understand this technology is in development, I doubt even the U.S military have it engineered to the level that is portrayed. Iain Glen makes an appearance, dealing with various foreign ministers whilst tackling a bout of food poisoning, which feels like it’s supposed to be some kind of weird, unnecessary comic relief. Some of the political figures also seem to be blown out of proportion, getting hysterical at every opportunity. I can understand the emotional contour they’re trying to create with this but it can come off as overly-dramatic. However none of these small issues were really enough to harm what is ultimately a very strong piece of filmmaking.
Eye in the Sky is the sort of film you wish for as a reviewer, one that pops up with little anticipation and takes you by surprise. It’s a well-developed, well-acted, insightful and utterly tense example of how small-budget films can be extremely effective, and a great contemporary addition to the war genre. Do yourself a favour, go see this over Batman v Superman.
Gavin Hood’s last two films; X-Men Origins: Wolverine and Ender’s Game were monsters, with budgets well over $100 million. Eye in the Sky is a much smaller, taughter and more intelligent thriller that could have so easily fallen into tedious territory. Instead, it embraces its subject matter and - thanks to writer Guy Hibbert - presents a much more morally ambiguous take on drone warfare than you would at first think. Where Good Kill hid the ethical dilemma of drone warfare behind a pilot’s souring relationship with his family, this film puts it right at the forefront, with the military legalities and political disputes all focusing on the potential collateral damage of the situation when a young girl selling bread enters the kill zone. But Hood makes a concerted effort to justify, or at the very least explain the reasoning for both firing the deadly missile or for not. What we get is a denouement similar to Gus Van Sant’s Elephant, unsure what to make of the final outcome it forces us to consider the impact long after the credits roll.
Eye in the Sky is a masterclass in taking a simple story with simple production values and using those elements to build tension from the get go. You will never be more stressed out watching a girl selling bread than you are here. Certainly its ability to hold your attention through what is essentially an hour and a half of phone conversations is down to the abilities of its four key leads. Helen Mirren brings a fiery rage to the film, with her Colonel acting in a front-lines mindset despite being in a small English bunker. Her much more reserved superior brings poise to the situation thanks to a balanced, memorable performance from the late great Alan Rickman. Aaron Paul’s all-too brief scenes mark certainly his best dramatic appearance since hanging up the gas-mask, and Barkhad Abdi is slowly making clear that he won’t be typecast from his Captain Phillips role.
There are certain elements of the film that are less believable, the Kenyan intel use insect and wildlife drones to capture information discreetly and whilst I understand this technology is in development, I doubt even the U.S military have it engineered to the level that is portrayed. Iain Glen makes an appearance, dealing with various foreign ministers whilst tackling a bout of food poisoning, which feels like it’s supposed to be some kind of weird, unnecessary comic relief. Some of the political figures also seem to be blown out of proportion, getting hysterical at every opportunity. I can understand the emotional contour they’re trying to create with this but it can come off as overly-dramatic. However none of these small issues were really enough to harm what is ultimately a very strong piece of filmmaking.
Eye in the Sky is the sort of film you wish for as a reviewer, one that pops up with little anticipation and takes you by surprise. It’s a well-developed, well-acted, insightful and utterly tense example of how small-budget films can be extremely effective, and a great contemporary addition to the war genre. Do yourself a favour, go see this over Batman v Superman.
