Eagle Eye

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. (15.12.2008)

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. (07.10.2008)

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..." (07.11.2008)

Eagle Eye is a fast-paced high-tech thriller, but it fails to bring anything distinctive to the table. The only thing that makes it attractive is Shia LaBeouf’s participation and the “Executive Producer Steven Spielberg” label. Tony Scott, active in the same genre, has his own directing style and his high-tech thrillers are original and audio-visually creative. D.J. Caruso produces only routine works that are neither great nor terrible. And for me, that is not enough for a two-hour action movie without a deeper look into psychology of the characters. (21.10.2008)

Spielberg is enjoying the production aspects and he’s letting decent directorial craftsmen under his patronage demonstrate their talents. Caruso's film is nothing more than a feature-length popcorn flick with no higher ambitions. It tightly clutches several genres, deftly referencing its more famous colleagues, and yet the is honestly entertaining for two hours. There are no dead spots and the pacing is so frantic that it kills even the leaky logic, and the actors so excellent that even the stiff dialogue can be forgotten. I’m willing to accept the angry criticism around the volatile camera and frantic editing - except for the car chases, where the feasts of destruction don't quite stand out - otherwise, it’s damn good! It’s a fine fairy tale, and after watching it I will fall asleep after a long time with a cynical feeling that such toys will one day bury the entire "civilized" world. :) (21.12.2008)