Eagle Eye

Shia LaBeouf seems bullet proof. No matter what he does in his life, on screen he shines. He is the opposite of most child actors. He can get arrested for stupid shit, get in 2a.m car accidents and it just bounces off of him as he goes to shoot these big movies. He stars in summer blockbuster franchises and starred in one of 2007's biggest surprises, Disturbia, which in the words of Robbie, had no business being as good as it was. He is Speilberg's golden boy. The heir to the thrones once owned by Tom Hanks and Tom Cruise. In one year he went from the next big thing, to the now big thing. When Eagle Eye opened to nearly 30 million dollars in September he proved he can open a picture without robots or Indiana Jones. He is the new Will Smith. I mention all of this because your joy in Eagle Eye will probably rest upon what you think of the man who once was known as Louis Stevens.

Jerry Shaw is a man just barely scraping by in life. He is ducking rent and winning money at poker. He has less than 80 dollars to his name and to top it off, his brother has just died, his twin brother. After the funeral, he has a confrontation with his father that ends badly, but we find out Jerry was the black sheep and his twin brother was in the Air Force and the all American boy before being killed in a car accident. The next day Jerry has over $700,000.00 in his account and his apartment is chalk full of explosives and war equipment. He gets a phone call that tells him the F.B.I is on the way, and when he is captured by the F.B.I the voice tells him how to escape. He is ordered to go to a car. In that car is Rachel Holloman(Michelle Monaghan) who has been ordered by the same voice to follow orders or her child will be killed. Jerry and Rachel begin to drive everywhere doing what they are told. Their tasks include sticking up an armored truck all while being watched by someone. The F.B.I is still on their tails as is the Air Force. I cannot really say anything else for fear of giving too much away, but the twist certainly spins the movie in a whole other direction.

Eagle Eye has a summer movie sensibility in the end of September. I think the only thing that made this not a summer release is that it is so dark in tone and bleak in its cynicism. It is also trying to make a point, which is a typical no-no for summer fare. However, there is a bomb ass car chase, a few fights, more chases, explosions, crazy set pieces and Shia, which all point to summer. It is a movie that is a lot of fun and it movies along at such brisk pace that it doesn't allow you to stop and think about how ludicrous the whole thing is, which is a Good thing. Of course, it is utterly ridiculous how it all plays out, but who cares when you are on the edge of your seat during the thrills? Exactly, no one!

Shia has mastered the art of running in the movies. He runs from danger or towards danger than just about anyone ever has. He is flawlessly good in these types of action movies. Michelle Monaghan does her best job at keeping up and their chemistry is pretty good and the writers did a pretty good job with their dialog. I enjoyed getting to know the two characters and watching them get developed at least a little bit during the course of the movie. I enjoyed watching Jerry starts as a guy who lets things happen and then transform into a guy who makes things happen. I also enjoyed being in the dark through most of the movie as to why these two were picked. Maybe I should have picked up on it sooner, I don't know. Billy Bob Thornton, Rosario Dawson, Ethan Embry and Michael Chiklis are all good in their supporting roles and Thornton's scene of chasing Shia and Michelle through the airport is one of the standouts in my opinion.

Many movies are made about how technology so maybe Eagle Eye is not totally original, but what it does with the story is interesting, so at least it dealt with common territory in an interesting way. D.J Caruso (The director) is making a nice career for himself by directing Shia in movies produced by Steven Speilberg. Not a bad way to go about things, right? He also directed some great episodes of The Shield and he is still on the come up. He paces this movie perfectly, giving just enough for us to breathe in between chases or other action stunts. No, it is not a perfect movie, but it is an enjoyable thrill ride and sometimes that is all that matters.

There is this thought I see in reviews and on Message boards these days that say we aren't supposed to just have fun watching a movie anymore, but Eagle Eye bucks that notion. It is a fast, fun and thrilling movie that can take your mind away for two hours. Sure, Shia isn't quite ready for the beard thingy he is rockin in the movie, but he knows exactly how to maneuver through a movie like this and it takes a certain talent to do so. Yes, I would like him to try his hand at something a little meatier next time, to show he is an actual actor, but for now, sit back, strap yourself in and enjoy the ride. It really is a good time to be had.

Final Grade: B