'Eagle Eye' preys on tech fear

Mark Trammell, Spectrum editor
Published On: 10/ 7/2008

“Eagle Eye” is one of those movies you have to just go with. If you take too close of a look at what’s really going on underneath the surface, it all falls apart, but if you can get past the general preposterousness of the entire set-up, you’ll have a great time.

At its heart, the film is part of an ongoing cycle of techno-phobic pseudo sci-fi/horror films that go back to the first films to deal with the rapid ascent of technology in a fearful way.

Think “2001: A Space Odyssey” in the ’60s, “Demon Seed” in the ’70s, “The Terminator” series of the ’80s and beyond, and films like “Pulse” and “Enemy of the State” more recently.

Basically, since there have been computers and artificial intelligence and the like, there have been people in fear of what they have to offer. For everything computers make more convenient, there are a whole host of ramifications that come along with these new inventions.

For instance, can the government use cell phones to track anyone and even listen in on our most private conversations? Are there databases being assembled on everyone in the world via their use of Web sites and even things as seemingly innocuous as our Netflix lists, the books we check out from the library, and music we purchase?

Might a certain combination of selected materials put any given person on a “list” of potential troublemakers? Perhaps even get one red-flagged as a terrorist? What’s more, with today’s technology being what it is, wouldn’t it be possible theoretically for someone to invent a whole host of potential attention-grabbing interests and attach them to a completely innocent person’s online history? Think of it as identity theft taken to the next level.

Instead of stealing your identity, someone could invent a false one, and get you into serious trouble. Assuming, that is, that there actually are people out there monitoring such things.

“Eagle Eye” certainly preys on these fears, and if the ideas it posits aren’t completely original, then the film at least gets points for chutzpa since it basically horrific outcomes such as these and makes them a reality.

The film revolves around two main people: Jerry Shaw (Shia LaBeouf) and Rachel Holloman (Michelle Monaghan), innocents whose lives get turned upside down when they each get mysterious calls from a woman. The caller informs Jerry that he will be framed as a terrorist and/or killed if he doesn’t do exactly what she says, while the life of Rachel’s son is threatened if she doesn’t do the same.

There’s also some business involving a hit on a terrorist threat (at a funeral, no less) by the government that may involve a case of mistaken identity. Think an assassination attempt on Osama bin Laden gone potentially awry. It also turns out that Jerry’s twin brother was a soldier who was killed, possibly because of terrorist activity on his part. Is all of this connected, somehow? Well, duh, or we wouldn’t have a movie.

On the case are FBI Agent Thomas Morgan (Billy Bob Thornton) and Air Force Investigator (Rosario Dawson), both of whom are stubbornly determined to get to the bottom of everything, even if it means exposing some nasty governmental cover-up. Needless to say, someone is going to lengths to make sure things remain hidden as much as possible. But who is the mysterious female caller and what are her (and her assumed employers) real motives for manipulating Jerry and Rachel? Why them? To what end? And what does all of this have to do with trumpets? (Don’t ask.)

Needless to say, none of this would work if the central cast weren’t so effective, and thankfully they are. It’s a hoot to see Dawson (“Sin City,” “Rent”) as a no-nonsense agent and, against all odds given his background, it’s a trip to see how effortlessly former Disney star LaBeouf (“Even Stevens”) has made the transition to a bona fide action star for the new millennium in such movies as “The Transformers” and “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.”
Here reuniting with the director that really put him on the Hollywood radar with the breakthrough hit “Disturbia,” D.J. Caruso, LaBeouf really comes into his own as an action star, convincingly looking scrappy and even believably whipping up on some guys that interfere with his “mission.” He may weigh about a buck and a quarter, but he comes off as someone who can hold his own when it comes to a fight.

It’s sort of similar to the transition Leonardo DiCaprio had to make from teen heartthrob to serious dramatic star not too long ago with the likes of “The Departed” and “Blood Diamond.” True, he may be getting into trouble every time you turn around, but if LaBeouf can rein in some of his bad off-screen behavior, he certainly has the potential to become an even bigger star than he already is.

What’s more, he’s effortlessly charming and funny, two qualities that should serve him well when he starts doing more substantial dramatic work. It certainly doesn’t hurt to have the likes of Steven Spielberg in your corner.
“Eagle Eye” marks the twosomes’ fifth project together, all of which have been spectacularly successful thus far, albeit not always with critics.

Monaghan is likewise a sympathetic and likeable performer who has steadily worked up the ranks to have earned a shot at the big time, including previous action-packed stints in the likes of “Mission Impossible 3,” “The Bourne Supremacy,” and “Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” as well as solid chick-flick credentials like “Made of Honor” and “The Heartbreak Kid.”

Both she and LaBeouf should have long careers ahead of them, in any given genre they should choose.
And who wouldn’t love to see Rosario Dawson kick a little more booty, possibly as, say, the first African-Latino-American superhero? She’s the Dawsonator! (OK, the name may need work, but you get the idea.)
So, granted, there is a point in the film, and it comes pretty early on, where all creditability — not to mention believability — goes completely out the window, but sometimes, you just have to ignore that voice in your head telling you how silly something is and enjoy the ride.

Hey, David Fincher’s “The Game”— a similarly ludicrous film, plot-wise — was completely ridiculous at times, but that didn’t make it any less fun.

You may see the endgame coming a mile away — I did — but that still doesn’t make it any less fun getting there.
One thing’s for sure: You might just think twice before you order that copy of “The Anarchist’s Bible” online in the future, lest you end up on someone’s short list.

Email: ripmrgordo@hotmail.com