Plot: What’s it about?
When you have a name like Wes Craven attached to a movie, odds are that it’ll be in the horror genre. And normally, that would be a true statement. But with “Red Eye” Craven crossed over to the thriller genre, something he’s done before and done pretty well. We associate Craven with movies like “A Nightmare on Elm Street” and the “Scream” movies but with “Red Eye” he reaches new heights – pun totally intended. But first, a bit about the casting (and there’s a featurette on the casting as well – more on that later). The movie stars the ultra hot (in as many senses of the word) Rachel McAdams, who has gone from supporting player to movie mega-star in the course of a year. Her roles in “The Notebook” and “Wedding Crashers” paved the way for her role here and she does a good job in her first true leading role. She also does a good job of portraying the strong female character, something Craven likes to portray in his films.
“Red Eye”, for anyone who doesn’t know, is the traveling term for the last flight of the night destined to arrive in the wee hours of the morning. This comes into play as Lisa (Rachel McAdams) is en route from Dallas to her hometown of Miami. However, the flight has been delayed and before she knows it she’s having drinks with a charming man (Cillian Murphy) who happens to be on her flight. Eventually the plane does take off and as she learns more and more about Jackson (Murphy) he quickly turns from charming to sinister. He informs her that he needs her to use her pull as hotel manager to move the Director of Homeland Security (Jack Scalia) to a different room so that he might be more easily assassinated. The catch is that if she doesn’t make the phone call, her father will be killed by one of Jackson’s hit men.
The movie is short (about 1 hour and 15 minutes from opening to closing credits) and the majority of it does take place on the airplane where the cat and mouse game continues into the airport terminal. McAdams is convincing as a woman in distress, yet who is powerful enough to face the forces against her. There’s also a small role for one of the Director of Homeland Security’s guards played by Colby Donaldson. Fans of “Survivor” will undoubtedly remember Donaldson who seems to be one of the very few to make the transition from “reality” star to “movie” star. “Red Eye” has all the right elements and with the movie being as short as it is, there are not a lot of spots for the action to subside. It has energy and is tense enough to keep the viewer guessing. Dreamworks has offered up a decent DVD here and it’s certainly worth a look.
Video: How does it look?
“Red Eye” is shown in a very wide 2.40:1 aspect ratio that makes full use of the screen. A majority of the shots take place in an airplane, but we don’t get that cramped feelings as Craven uses every available inch of the screen. The images are crystal clear and later on in some of the Miami scenes, we can see the blue of the ocean and the colorful city that is Miami. Fleshtones seem muted, though it’s hard to say as airplane lighting is a bit off. On the whole, “Red Eye” looks great as any day and date release should.
Audio: How does it sound?
The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack isn’t anything too special, it delivers where needed and the take-off/landing of the plane sounded pretty good. There are a few gunshots and even an explosion or two that I remember. Aside from that, most of the action is relegated to the front stage with the surrounds coming in for some extra ambiance here and there.
Supplements: What are the extras?
There are not a whole lot of extras here, but Craven offers up an insightful commentary track though some of the information is redundant from the featurettes. Craven knows how to make a good thriller and it’s reflected in his comments. There’s also the obligatory “Making of…” featurette as well as a gag reel, trailer and another featurette dedicated to how the movie came to be. Overall “Red Eye” is a diamond in the rough that’ll most likely find a new audience on DVD. Check it out.
