All In Favor--Say "Eye"

As promised, here are my thoughts on last year's Red Eye, from director Wes Craven.

I had every intention of seeing Red Eye in theaters, last summer, but fate had other plans...The film's recent release on DVD meant that it would be atop my rental list for sure.

Lisa Reisert (Rachel McAdams) hates to fly, never the less, she must take a quick night flight to Miami. Upon boarding the plane, Lisa's fear of flying are put to rest, when she is seated next to Jackson Rippner (Cillian Murphy), a charming well dressed man with whom she shared a drink--and perhaps some not so subtle flirtation--in the airport terminal. Shortly after takeoff, Jackson drops his seemingly benign facade and menacingly reveals the real reason he's on board: he is a key operative in a plot to kill the Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security--and Lisa is the key to the plan's success. If she refuses to cooperate, her father Joe (Brian Cox) will be killed by an assassin waiting on orders from Jackson. Trapped within the confines of a jet at 30,000 feet, Lisa has nowhere to go and no way to get help for her or her dad.

Even though I am a fan of the thriller genre, and most of Craven's work, my main reason to see the film in the first place was because of Murphy. He made quite an impression with his work in films like 28 Days Later and Batman Begins, and has proven that he makes a great villain. He doesn't disappoint here either. The character (an obvious play on the name "Jack The Ripper") he plays is quite creepy and menacing enough to make it work. McAdams ( The Notebook) works very well off of Murphy as part damsel in distress/take charge heroine. It was wise of Craven and writer Carl Ellsworth to keep the film "flying" at a break neck pace for this, as it only serves to heighten the urgency and tension even more (and make you all but ignore a few minor plot holes) . First and foremost though, a thriller's primary function is to thrill, right?...

The DVD extras include a fine audio commentary with Craven, his longtime Producer Marianne Maddalena and Editor Patrick Lussier. The track is very enjoyable and informative, taking the viewer through the entire process. It's engaging, enthusiastic and entertaining--a rare DVD commentary that is all those things. A rather long (for what it is) gag reel results in a few yuks, but it's of the "watch it once" variety There are a pair of fairly brief, pretty "fluffy" promotional featurettes: a typical "making of" and "Wes Craven: A New Kind of Thriller" that profiles him in relation to the film. A few promo spots for other titles top off the bonus features.

Red Eye makes for a nice thriller, that owes a bit to director Alfred Hitchcock - The Master of Suspense, as he was clearly an inspiration. As long as you can check your brain for a few leaps in logic--you won't be disappointed.