Plane thriller crashes, burns

Lisa Reisert boards a red-eye flight back to Miami only to find herself seated next to a terrorist who needs her help for his latest assignment. Sounds like the plot line for an amazing film, doesn't it? It sounds like it would play on some of the deepest fears of all Americans, hold us on the edge of our seats, make our hearts pound in our chests, make us grab the seatback in front of us until our knuckles turn white and leave us terrified to set foot on a plane, right?

That’s what I thought. With Wes Craven behind the wheel, the movie “Red Eye” promised to be a great thriller. However, this film proved far less satisfactory than its premise and director promised.

The storyline for this film was good. Reisert (Rachel McAdams) is a manager at a hotel in Miami, Fla. After her grandmother's funeral, Lisa boards a red-eye flight back to Miami. On this flight she is seated next to Jackson Ripner (Cillian Murphey), a man who works with terrorists in government overthrows and assassinations. Ripner informs Reisert that if she doesn’t help him by getting the hotel to move a high-ranking government official to a certain room, he will have her father (Brian Cox) killed. In all, this is a good story.

The cinematography was mediocre. The movie contained one or two good shots, a few unique and interesting shots, but also many awkward shots. It also failed to set a mood for the movie. The movie felt just matter-of-fact. There was no suspense, no fear, no intrigue in the mood set by the cinematography of this film.

The acting was the only part of this film that I can speak exceptionally highly of. Rachel McAdams is the perfect heroine. She is strong, courageous and intelligent. At the same time, however, she is vulnerable. She makes it easy for the viewer to feel for her and root for her.

Murphey is amazing as the villain of this film. He puts you at ease, makes you like him and then turns around and becomes truly disgusting. His character’s creepiness comes not from how freaky or weird he is. Instead, his creepiness comes from how frighteningly normal he is. Murphey brilliantly blends the normal exterior of the character with the evil that lurks beneath the surface.

In the end, I give “Red Eye” 2 stars out of 5. To say the acting was too good for the film, as I know many reviewers have already said, would be an understatement. A promising story was crippled by terrible cinematography. Brilliant acting was devalued by poor directing. A film with great potential was squashed and became a terrible film. Craven didn’t live up to his reputation on this attempt.

If you are looking for a good laugh, “Red Eye” might be a film to see. I found myself laughing hysterically at portions of the film that weren’t supposed to be funny. If, however, you are looking for a thriller, avoid this Wes Craven flop at all costs. Better luck next time, Wes.