'Eagle Eye'

10/2/08

SMASH

Great film. Shia LaBeouf gets progressively better with each one he does. He really got me with this one. There was a lot more emotional depth to his character Jerry Shaw than had been with his others and he more than pulled it off. Not to mention Michelle Monaghan, who’s talent far exceeded that which I had ever expected. Rosario Dawson, Michael Chiklis, and especially Billy-Bob Thornton were perfectly cast, Billy-Bob being the coolest FBI agent to hit screens in a while. D.J. Caruso absolutely wowed me with his directing abilities in that this film is a complete opposite from ‘Disturbia’. It defined Caruso as a new leading man in the world of directing. There were a couple very cliche plot elements. Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci are phenomenal writers, but sometimes, among all of their incredible creativity, the dialogue and story fall short of the mark. This happened in ‘Eagle Eye’. I commend LaBeouf in his ability to take a weak or poorly written scene/piece of dialogue and supply it with way more talent and emotion than deserved. There were times when the movie crossed the line of being believable, and moved into “oh yeah right” territory, but then again it is a movie. There were a lot of original ideas pulled from unoriginal sources. It made references to I, Robot and Thornton’s character was a copy-paste of Tommy Lee Jones in The Fugitive. Also, D.J.’s directing style, (key word there), such as the jam-packed action sequences with more cuts than a pair of scissors, was a direct reference to Michael Bay, only Michael Bay doesn’t give us a headache to let us know that it is an action sequence. (I know, I complimented Caruso's directing ability. This is about the style of some of the sequences. Big difference.) From a critic’s standpoint, I give the movie a solid B-. From a fan’s standpoint, I give it a solid A. It rocked, was completely entertaining, kept my heart pounding, kept me at the edge of my seat, took me on an emotional roller coaster, and hit the mark with flying colors. It was fantastic and was everything I had hoped to see. Box Office Glory, you have been activated.

Critic: B

Fan: A

Shia LaBeouf is one of the most talented actors working today. His ability to connect with and draw audiences to the theater is what makes him so great. He understands the emotional connection between himself, his character, and the audience and that connection never breaks until the film is over. He has cemented himself a place in Hollywood for many years to come.