Review

Review Date: 28-September-08
Spoiler Rating: Medium
Juju Judgment: Just OK

Eagle Eye (2008)

Will Shia LaBeouf be a career actor or disposable star? Anyone who follows Hollywood knows he has enjoyed star grooming as Steven Spielberg's "protégé" who headlined two number-one movies last year (one of them unexpected) and was heralded until recently as a smart kid untainted by indiscretion. But is he any good, and does he have it in him to shine? Responding to the je ne sais quoi that has brought him this far, I envision him becoming a postmodern Joseph Cotten, a handsomer-than-average Average Joe who might make a lasting impression in memorable films. His emergence as such will have to wait until he is older, though, since his latest, Eagle Eye, adds another uninspired action/thriller to his résumé.

Second question: are Americans really scared by the government's unprecedented intrusion into their lives since 9/11, or do moviemakers just think the subject is an easy way to create apparently meaningful tension? Following in the wake of Batman's sonar abuse, Eagle Eye finds a U.S. military experiment gone awry which leads to every cell phone and video camera in the country being used to track and manipulate its citizens. (The ubiquitous cameras have been galling this American for some time, though I suspect they indicate faddish corporate paranoia instead of governmental spying as yet.) Two people caught in the experiment are an underachiever (LaBeouf) and a single mother (Michelle Monaghan) who are "activated" by phone calls from a mysterious female. Through coercion and displays of omnipotence, the caller forces them to steal cars, rob an armored truck, attempt murder, and elude the authorities (including Billy Bob Thornton and Rosario Dawson) on a mission that takes them from Chicago to Washington DC.

The thrills come fast and cheap, with cars crashing, bullets zooming, and characters reconciling with their pasts through the ordeals of the present. One nifty scene finds the stars sliding down airport baggage chutes while trying to keep hold of a metal briefcase with a suspicious-looking timer device. They do not understand what is going on, and I daresay the audience could share their confusion without having it make much difference. No matter how topical Eagle Eye might be, it is essentially a chase movie designed to send attractive up-and-comers out for a run. Here's hoping that LaBeouf tackles more substance in the future and that Americans, if they really are concerned about civil liberties, express their feelings in ways that reach beyond the box office.

Copyright © 2008 The Jujube (M. I. Kim). All rights reserved.