Tanya Batson-Savage, Freelance Writer
Once on the ground in Miami, Lisa Reisert (RACHEL McADAMS) makes a desperate attempt to escape from the man who has been threatening her on the late-night flight from Dallas. - CONTRIBUTED
RED EYE is the second aeroplane-related movie of the season. Technically, it is the first, as Flightplan, starring Jodie Foster, was released later but it reached our shores first as trailers of Red Eye were allowed to taunt us for a very long time. Both flicks seem to allow America to work out its angst about plane hijackings without actually confronting the issue.
The similarity of theme and location makes it impossible to not compare the two movies. Generally, Flightplan is a flick of higher calibre (not merely because it has a fancier plane) from camera work to performance. Rachel Adams gives a fair enough performance as Lisa Reisert, but she is not Jodie Foster and that is enough said.
TOSSED TO THE WIND
Adams plays a hotel worker who is catching the last flight for the night to Miami. As though having to fly on the red eye is not enough, her world is about to be tossed to the wind when she is kidnapped and her father threatened. She is engaging, a little charming and you like her immediately, and by the end of the flick it is easy to cheer for her.
What Red Eye, directed by Wes Craven and scripted by Carl Ellsworth, has going for it though, is that it is more fun, and it has a far more gratifying conclusion. The movie starts as though it is building up toward an interesting enough romantic comedy. However, in midair the action suspense element takes over and the real movie begins.
It does take a while to hit a good speed, but when it gets there during its last throes it was quite worth watching Adams run about and swing a stick. She presents a heroine that one need not feel ashamed of and she displays the real reason, and the only reason one should wear a stiletto (it makes a fine weapon if wielded right).
Red Eye is not a trip into first class but it offers a good enough ride. It could certainly use greater character development, because Brian Cox (Joe Reisert) is pretty much wasted in this piece. Jayma Mays as Cynthia is however a delightful addition and her display of flighty behaviour brings much needed comic relief to the flick.
Cillian Murphy plays Jackson Ripner, who seems bent on living up to the legend of the man whose name he almost shares. As such he continues to make a decent villain, though it is questionable whether he had done a better job in Batman Returns.
In truth, there is only so much that one can do in a plane and so unless one is going to make something like Passenger 57, expect turbulence. Most importantly, it ends well and with the slew of low calibre flicks that Hollywood spewed onto the public this year, one hesitates to ask for more.
