Movie Review - Eye in the Sky

Eye in the Sky **** (out of 5) (R) The controversy over our use of drones for surveillance and strategic bombing will rage on for years. But no matter how one feels on the subject, we can at least be grateful for one film it generated. This one delivers a textured, 360-degree view of the issue, covering a full range of military, political and personal perspectives, while providing all the dramatic tension one could ask for. No wonder Helen Mirren signed on to play the colonel in charge of evaluating the target and deploying the missiles from afar, with Alan Rickman one level up her chain of command.

Her intelligence sources have finally discovered a meeting in Kenya that includes a terrorist she’s been tracking for six years. Since British and American citizens are among the cell’s leaders they find on-site, decisions must be coordinated among honchos of both countries, as well as the Kenyans. When the targeted cadre moves to another site, the original capture mission is no longer viable, forcing a decision on whether to bomb them in a populated civilian area that is sure to cause collateral damage.

Most of the film shows clashing and agonizing over options and consequences among officers and bureaucrats from the highest levels to the young soldiers who actually pilot the drones and fire the weapons. Among the latter, Aaron Paul turns in a fine performance without playing a doper, seeking a niche beyond his Breaking Bad image.

Guy Hibbert’s screenplay shows the degree of information gathering and analysis we can only hope goes into each deployment choice. Director Gavin Hood deftly rotates among multiple arenas of action to engage all the suspense and human interest elements in his audience. Short-term and long term considerations of military necessity, political “turf” factors, and public relations implications are all debated while the clock ticks in a limited window of opportunity. By the end, viewers will be about as emotionally drained as the participants the cast represents. No easy answers in the real world; none in the script. That adds up to a movie that’s entertaining, informative and highly relevant, especially in an election year. You might have heard something about that... (3/18/16)