Shia LaBeouf, Rosario Dawson, Michelle Monaghan, Billy Bob Thornton, Ethan Embry ...( see more  see more... ) , Eric Christian Olsen

A young slacker and a single mom get tangled up in a terrorist cell plotting a political assassination.

Flixster Users

72% liked it

244,035 ratings

Critics

28% liked it

169 critics

PG-13, 1 hr. 58 min.

Directed by: D.J. Caruso

Release Date: September 16, 2008

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DVD Release Date: December 27, 2008

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Stats: 17,069 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (17,069)


  • January 9, 2010
    A good conspiracy theory action, thriller. A mix of Enemy of the state and Terminator in a bizarre way. Plenty of good chase scenes, and big budget effects make this an enjoyable thrill ride.
  • September 30, 2009
    Pretty decent action-thriller...It feels very similar to "I, Robot" at times, but it does distinguish itself a little bit. They reveal a twist earlier than I expected, so the rest of the movie turns out to be pretty formulaic. Despite the early reveal, it's still very exciting ...( read more)and fast paced...
  • September 4, 2009
    from the director of disturbia d.j. caruso and also starring the main actor from it comes another one the critics have got utterly wrong. this is a popcorn pleaser, a cinema blockbuster. it's very much like enemy of the state and it's just as good. i like shia labeouf in blockbus...( read more)ters. he seems to be good for them. he's not a pretty boy which is always handy... so nobody generally hates him... bit rough around the edges y'know, and billy bob thornton is a top quality actor in every sense... and without trying to sound like a small child that's just opened a whole bag of sweeties... the ladies are lovely to look at. give me an agent perez anyday (rosario dawson). michelle monaghan was acting good enough for a blockbuster also
  • July 11, 2009
    Great action thriller. If you liked Enemy of the State or Spy Game you will like this movie. A guy (Shia) and a single mum (Michelle) gets entanged in a terrorist plot. They have to act quickly to save themselves. They get caught up in armed robbery, fleeing a murder and are chas...( read more)ed by the FBI (Billy). This movie is a good pace from start to finish, it will not disappoint. Good cast. Good plot.
  • June 10, 2009
    "Jerry Shaw, you have been activated. Your compliance is vital."


    Initially conceived by Steven Spielberg over a decade prior to its eventual release, Eagle Eye is a highly derivative action-thriller that combines WarGames, Nick of Time and Enemy of t

    ...( read more)he State. Spielberg was originally attached to direct the movie, but was compelled to surrender the position due to scheduling issues. D.J. Caruso instead took the helm (with Spielberg serving as executive producer), reuniting with star Shia LeBeouf after their collaboration on 2007's Disturbia. Caruso drew inspiration from Alfred Hitchcock for Disturbia, but it appears Caruso doesn't wish to follow in Hitchcock's footsteps after all...with Eagle Eye, it seems he's vying for the title of the next Michael Bay. This is a big-budget, explosive Hollywood blockbuster filled with everything except common sense and believability. Caruso has designed an actioner that discards logic, physics, and reason to generate a nonsensical blur of hyper-stylised explosions and overclocked jabs at tension. An implausible action film beset with the type of visual diarrhoea typically associated with Jerry Bruckheimer and Michael Bay, Eagle Eye is smart in concept but overproduced and absurd in execution. It's certainly entertaining, but be sure to leave your cranial luggage at the door.


    The story centres on amiable slacker Jerry Shaw (LeBeouf) and single mother Rachel Holloman (Monaghan). Following the funeral for his recently-deceased twin brother, Jerry discovers his bank account stuffed with thousands of dollars and his little apartment packed with a wealth of terrorist equipment...and federal agents are on their way. Contacting him on his cell phone is a mysterious female voice (an uncredited Julianne Moore) with specific instructions for his escape. With a bang, Jerry is off and running for his life, soon crossing paths with the frightened Rachel as they're guided through a series of perilous situations. The voice on the other end of the phone line can not only control Jerry's phone connection, but seemingly every other piece of technology on the planet as well...


    From there, Eagle Eye is one long hyperkinetic chase across the country. The film starts with great promise with its first act introducing plenty of intrigue, passable characterisations and a few pulse-quickening developments. Yet things rapidly crumble as soon as the central plot twist is finally revealed. Once the identity of the female caller is disclosed, Eagle Eye takes a massive nosedive. Needless to say, the actual 'Eagle Eye' of the movie isn't as fearsome or as devious as it should be...it's laughable. The motive is even more unbelievable. Eagle Eye tests a viewer's tolerance for enduring blundering stupidity when the payoff is hardly worth the wait. Director Caruso does an acceptable job of attempting to hide the script's stupidity by keeping the pace fast and furious. In reality, though, the chase sequences are pointless as they never advance the plot - the characters are mice on a treadmill, endlessly running but not getting anywhere. Did Caruso truly think the fast pace would prevent someone from realising the sheer absurdity of the story?


    The premise hinges on our advanced world of mobile phones and surveillance cameras, and how this invasion of privacy could be used against us by any force, be it friend or foe. The brain-dead screenplay - stitched together by a quartet of writers - plays on the fears of a post-9/11 society made skittish by the government's increased intrusion into private communications. Jerry & Rachel are pestered by an assortment of mundane technologies, such as electronic billboards and GPS systems, as they're pushed and pulled in various directions while always being closely watched. It's a chilling thought.


    Artificial Intelligence is a primary part of the premise as well. However, we've seen movies warning us of the dangers of Artificial Intelligence before, one of which even starred Shia LeBeouf (2004's I, Robot). The plot even seems to borrow countless ideas from Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey. Perhaps ten years ago when Spielberg conceived the story, the film's message would've been somewhat timely. All these years later, however, it's merely a trite reiteration. It's a shame Spielberg's story was on the backburner for so long.


    The key flaw of Eagle Eye (one of several) is not difficult to discern. If an entity has the ability to access and control all networked computers and electronic devices worldwide, why does it need a couple of humans to do its bidding? Furthermore, if it chooses to use them, why send these humans on an unbelievably long and convoluted wild goose chase when the same end could be accomplished more simply? This large issue is impossible to be ignored by anyone who allows a thought to pass through their mind while watching the flick. The word "preposterous" is too moderate to describe Eagle Eye as it contains barely a single mildly plausible moment. For instance, somehow a computer system can remotely disconnect power lines! Ripples in a coffee cup are even monitored in order to listen to a conversation at one stage. The film commences on a ridiculous note as well. For said opening, a spy plane in the Middle East spots a suspected terrorist leader and military computers calculate there's a mere 51% probability it's the guy they're looking for. Instead of waiting for the suspect to head back out into open spaces, they bomb an entire village and kill hundreds of civilians! Eagle Eye is aimed at the brain-dead and the catatonic.


    With its contrived message about the dangers of modern technology, Eagle Eye could easily be misinterpreted as an understated, intelligent thriller. Instead, it's an action fiesta. Caruso, who hadn't previously directed a pure action film, feels confident enough here to try a plethora of big-budget stunts. Unfortunately, the Disturbia director isn't interested in breaking new ground - instead he sets up a formulaic game of cat-and-mouse, stealing from the Michael Bay book of blow-'em-ups to lazily engage the audience. Caruso manages to pull off a perfect imitation of a Bay action flick, complete with the irritating, pointless shaky cam technique which wastes potentially interesting stunts by failing to film them correctly. Caruso lacks both the instincts and the subtlety to engage an audience using this technique as he simply shakes the camera for no reason other than to disorient a viewer. Happily, though, a great deal of the stunt sequences were executed with very little CGI. The pace is also brisk and the suspense is admittedly nail-biting, even if the action grows tiresome.


    As for the cast, Shia LeBeouf manages to hold his own as the hero at the core of the film. Yet the star continues to play characters within his comfort zone without ever truly testing his limits as an actor. In Eagle Eye, he's the same sort of character we've seen him play in such recent titles as Transformers and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. How boring. Michelle Monaghan's natural charisma is useful here, but she's predominantly forgettable. There's nothing wrong with her performance in particular...the problem is that she's just playing a bland, standard "girl in a Hollywood thriller" role. Monaghan was much better in the brilliant Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.
    Billy Bob Thornton and Rosario Dawson appear to be on hand merely to pick up paychecks. It's particularly disappointing to see Thornton in such a thankless role considering his excellent work in recent years (Bad Santa, Monster's Ball, Sling Blade, etc). Michael Chiklis is mildly memorable as the Secretary of Defense, and Anthony Mackie is terrific when thrust into the spotlight for the climax.


    Eagle Eye is a big disappointment, taking a topical subject and turning it into action tosh for an action-saturated market. It's comatose and predictable, not to mention it's also a facsimile of nearly every action film from the past decade (right down to a multitude of repetitive, zoom-happy car chases). The film shows all the earmarks of a once substantive script that was endlessly prodded and cut until all intelligence was wrung out of it. It's still possible to see the cautionary message it tries to convey, however - something about the danger of giving computers too much control. But this done-to-death topic has formed the fulcrum of countless sci-fi stories over the years, like the Terminator series, The Matrix, and WALL-E (arguably 2008's best movie). Admittedly, though, the constant action is well staged and somewhat exhilarating, and the whole production is slickly produced. It remains an enjoyable guilty pleasure guaranteed to satiate action fans as it packs quite a wallop. So really, it's not awful - it's just empty-headed.

  • February 9, 2010
    Sometimes you discard critical judgement and watch a movie for the thrill of it. Which is the prime reason why we watch movies in the first place. If that's the case, then choose this one. Shia LaBeouf and Michelle Monaghan deliver, though ostensibly, not on a high-acclaim level...( read more). But yeah, this is enjoyable!
  • February 8, 2010
    For shia its worth 3 stars
  • February 7, 2010
    I remember liking this movie quite a bit, but I seem to remember not liking the end.
  • February 4, 2010
    Shia LaBeouf.... God this film is AMAZING.. GREAT actor.
  • February 3, 2010
    intensely, scary if US has this eagle eye!

Critic Reviews


October 18, 2008
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

Did everyone involved in this botched thriller OD on speed? full review

October 3, 2008
A.O. Scott, The New York Times

Eagle Eye churns and flails and piles on pointless and improbable complications. full review

September 26, 2008
Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times

The chase eventually wears thin, and Eagle Eye eventually strangles its actors in the threads of its plot. full review

September 26, 2008
Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com

At the very least, Eagle Eye gives us two principals who are appealing enough to keep us interested in them. full review

September 26, 2008
Colin Covert, The Minneapolis Star Tribune

The film is a rag bag of concepts and characters from earlier, vastly better movies. full review

September 26, 2008
Kurt Loder, MTV

...this is a movie with many meanwhiles %u2014 it seems to have been edited with a hand grenade full review

September 26, 2008
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail

With less expensive actors, it might just have been called Chase Movie, and played for laughs. full review

September 25, 2008
Claudia Puig, USA Today

Though it aspires to be an intriguing political cautionary tale, the movie is mostly about the feverish and jarringly choreographed chase scenes. full review

September 25, 2008
Bob Mondello, NPR.org

It means to say something about anti-terrorism surveillance and civil liberties, but if you asked me what Eagle Eye is about, I'd have to say it's about as dumb as can be. full review

September 25, 2008
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

The word 'preposterous' is too moderate to describe Eagle Eye. This film contains not a single plausible moment after the opening sequence, and that's borderline. full review

View more Eagle Eye reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments


  • Jayhans
    February 28, 2009
    hello dear!
  • MunkhjinE
    February 17, 2009
    does somebody know where to download good quality free!!! movies! if yes please send me a msg
  • HeadlessChook16
    January 27, 2009
    It would have been a good movie if I had understood the story line better. I liked the overall action and Shia was great, but the story line just confused me slightly. Like something was missing. Apart from that it was an ok movie.
  • freakmebaby209
    January 1, 2009
    Great movie for all ages. Shia is awesome in it. Billy Bob did a good job himself.
  • fheyi
    November 19, 2008
    ehhhmmmmmmm
  • sugercandey
    October 22, 2008
    Very thrilling .
  • patriceangel
    October 12, 2008
    this movie looks dam good.
  • AsianNorthOfThailandGeneration
    September 27, 2008
    I'm liked him actor this film " Eagle Eye " (handsome)!
  • mzaffleck12
    September 26, 2008
    This movie was so amazing.I absolutly loved it.
    And it was full of so much action and it kept
    me on the edge of my seat.

    Loved it!
  • NuttyShooter
    June 30, 2008
    I just saw the full length trailer .. this is the sickest trailer I've seen .. if the movie is as good ... OMG ..I expect a HUGE hit ! ..

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

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Eagle Eye Trivia


  • What is the name of the actor who starred in Disturbia, Transformers, Indaina Jones and The Kingdom of The Crystal Skull, and Eagle Eye?  Answer »
  • D.J. Caruso, the director of DISTURBIA, has a new movie out (2008), starring Shia LaBeouf. What is it?  Answer »
  • Who starred in the 2008 film Eagle Eye?  Answer »
  • Eagle Eye (2008) The voice of Aria is the voice of actress ____________, who chose to remain uncredited for her role   Answer »

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