Directed by:
Wes CravenScreenplay:
Carl EllsworthCinematography:
Robert D. YeomanComposer:
Marco BeltramiCast:
Rachel McAdams, Cillian Murphy, Brian Cox, Jayma Mays, Angela Paton, Colby Donaldson, Max Kasch, Jack Scalia, Robert Pine, Rand Gamble, Jenny Wade, Kyle Gallner (more)VOD (4)
Plots(1)
On an overnight flight to Miami, an emotionally raw hotel manager finds herself ensnared in a menacing passenger's political assassination plot. (Netflix)
Reviews (11)
Craven’s best film; atmospheric, sophisticatedly written and, despite the minimal plot space, endlessly creative and entertaining in its direct psychological pressure and clever subplots. The sympathy for the protagonist, especially crucial in the final B-movie-oriented showdown, works great thanks to an excellent emotional performance by Rachel McAdams, while Cillian Murphy is terrifyingly convincing (or is it convincingly terrifying? ), and I really liked the clever manoeuvring of the moral dilemma of "not risking my father's life and being complicit in an assassination, or taking a risk and try to save everyone", even though the developments "on paper" are obvious from the start and essentially unsurprising. But as I said, the development "on camera" is amazingly attractive this time, the fifth star was not far away...
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It’s not far from a fourth star. The first hour Craven carries it off with absolute clarity. The whole action on the plane, supported by the claustrophobic atmosphere and the seemingly hopeless situation of the main character (a very charming McAdams) is impressive and suspenseful, but unfortunately once the action moves to Lisa's house for the last 10 minutes or so, the tension is lost, with predictability and a bit of that genre cliché coming in. Another shame is the short runtime (73 minutes without credits). But beware, when God was handing out villainous charisma to future actors, Cillian Murphy went for five, he's the main reason this thriller is worth watching. I've been more and more interested in this guy since Batman Begins.
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Craven still knows his stuff and I can’t wait for 25/8. The most interesting part of Red Eye takes place on the plane with the constant confrontation between the charismatic villain Cillian Murphy and the likeable Rachel McAdams. The final impression is brought down by the last half hour, but the culprit is the screenwriter and not Craven – I would have welcomed something harsher and more uncompromising. Otherwise, Red Eye is a pleasant and tense thriller that flows like water.
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Although the direction is flawless, there are issues in the script, which in the end didn't avoid unsuccessful variations on classic genre clichés. Still, the director literally chips the tension out of more or less every shot and the work with the limited space of two seats on the plane is masterful and even the universally condemned ending doesn't lack proper gradation. Rachel McAdams sets herself up for a promising career as a pretty face with very developed acting potential, and Cillian Murphy already proved in Batman Begins that behind the face of an innocent-looking nice guy resides a villain of the heaviest caliber. It’s an absolutely minimized thriller from Phone Booth onwards, which would be perfect if it benefited from its originality throughout the entire runtime. Still, as it is, it’s a very above-average spectacle and many of its issues can be forgiven.
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A solid thriller which, thanks to being so short, manages to maintain a decent pace throughout. The actors handle their one-dimensional characters excellently and even manage to give them something extra, which applies primarily to Cillian Murphy. As long as the movie stays on board the plane, this is an excellent, suspenseful thriller with clearly dealt cards in a restricted space. But once the plane lands, the whole movie goes down the drain and turns into a festival of genre clichés and logical fallacies, which is a shame, because they wreck the otherwise solid positive.
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The charismatic main duo and Wes Craven's surprising abundance of good ideas, unfortunately, are hindered by a few inconsistencies and an unnecessarily "indestructible" final chase. Fortunately, this flight doesn't manage to become boring even for a minute, despite the obvious simplicity that it cannot shake off.
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A great "different take" on disaster in the air. I welcomed the change and the bit of originality... yes, we can call it originality in this case. For almost everything taking place in one location, I wasn't bored at all. Nicely presented and quite well acted. I'm surprised and I give it 4 stars.
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It's a pity, as the potential of this film was much, much greater than the bland result. It was missing only a little to become an imaginative A-list intimate thriller that, while not fully matching, could certainly come close to the quality of Phone Booth. The original idea and quality cast are commendable. Rachel McAdams, and especially Cillian Murphy, raise the film's level by 20%. Up until Lisa's escape from the plane, the film's atmosphere is excellent, and the tension is palpable. However, after that, the screenwriter and director run out of ideas, and the quality plummets like a parachutist without a parachute. The characters' actions lose all logic and credibility. The final showdown in the father's house is just a collection of the most worn-out genre clichés. In Scream, Wes Craven had a lot of fun with them, but here he succumbed to them. I'm sure that parodying the ending was not his intention this time. Overall rating: 60%.
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A lot of value for money. They managed to turn a shoddy script into a solid atmospheric plot, dominated by an outstanding antagonist played by Cillian Murphy, who possesses so much charisma that it's almost pretty, while Rachel McAdams fits in excellently with her adorable pout. As long as we're in the cramped spaces of the airplane, where the actors perform their magic in quick dialogues and psychological battles, it's okay. But as it approaches the end and they disembark from, the barrage of clichés begins and the quality declines. But it’s still at a decent level.
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It's like seeing a modern-day Hitchcock. Pacing from start to finish, nervy and cynical humor for light relief, and most importantly a polished script that makes the most of everything in the end. Every minor character, even briefly introduced, and other aspects like the renovated house or the mention of a knife or a sport... Nothing is extraneous, everything makes sense sooner or later; it’s just great. The part on the plane is very suspenseful, the part after the plane is again somehow tense, and I didn't find the ending at all out of place with what preceded it. Indeed, I was again reminded of the finales of Hitchcock films, which often took place in a different setting from the rest of the film, and nobody minded.
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Another hugely emancipated thriller that apologizes for the eighties and nineties, or possibly just for Lars von Trier. Notwithstanding the fatal plan of the main villain, the heroine this time is mainly concerned with humiliating the oppressor rather than killing him, as therapy for the involuntary buttfuck she took three years ago and carries with her in the form of a scar over her breast. Just see if it's not a bit of a disservice to demonstrate the supremacy of female inscrutability over male pragmatic logic by sticking him in the throat with a pen (mightier than the sword) and transitioning from the mode of a tightly-written dialogue thriller on the stage of an airplane seat (where the man has the upper hand) into a B-grade final showdown at a house in the suburbs (where the woman has the upper hand). As an added bonus, most of the female users' ratings are limited to the godliness of Cillian Murphy and his eyes. So I guess I don't know.
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