Critic Reviews
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Nigel Floyd, Time Out
The psychological mind-games are played to the hilt, the pressurised cabin air increases the edge-of-the-seat tension and the 85-minute flight time is gratifyingly short.
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Andrew Sarris, New York Observer
I'm not claiming masterpiece stature for Red Eye, just a solid professionalism in the acting, writing and direction that seems inextricably related to the modesty of its intentions.
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David Denby, New Yorker
The movie turns into a complicated duel that depends on precise observation of physical detail and moment-by-moment continuity so closely calibrated that it's impossible to find a wasted shot or an exaggerated emotion.
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Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper
For Wes Craven, who I like a lot as a slasher director, he really goes into a different direction with this.
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Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
It took forever, but the best thriller of summer 2005 has finally arrived. The gripping, seat- clutching suspense in this baby will pin you to your seat.
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Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
After a summer of crashes, bangs, endless chase scenes and special effects that belittle the actors standing in front of them, what a pleasure to see characters in a thriller doing what people like themselves possibly could do.
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Joshua Starnes, ComingSoon.net
While not particularly original, Red Eye is immensely entertaining and a fine example of the classic suspense-thriller.
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Gabe Leibowitz, Film and Felt
Works extremely well as a fast-paced adrenaline rush, but not so well as an allegory on today's government and security issues.
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Garth Franklin, Dark Horizons
Quick but satisfying.
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Cynthia Fuchs, Common Sense Media
Entertaining thriller for teens and up; not for the younger set.
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Rob Gonsalves, eFilmCritic.com
Hitchcock, of course, got lots of mileage out of just such absurd plots. But Wes Craven, whatever other strengths he has, isn't Hitchcock.
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Anton Bitel, Eye for Film
this mid-air thriller sees the director not so much soaring to the heavens as merely coasting along on auto-pilot.
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Dan Lybarger, Kansas City Star
Terrific casting can work wonders for a movie. If the stars are good enough, logic gaps as deep as the Marianas Trench disappear in the performers' glow.
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Stefan Ulstein, Christianity Today
Fans of the thriller genre will probably be scared and entertained, but seeing Red Eye is more like watching a good television show than a good movie.
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Douglas Pratt, Movie City News
A rousing thriller that takes advantage not of the vulnerability of a commercial airplane, but of its confined space
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David Cornelius, eFilmCritic.com
This is a screenplay so unbelievably bad that not even two very fine young actors and a director known for his knack for suspense can salvage it.
Read all 16 critic reviews
Featured Audience Ratings
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A hugely underrated character-driven thriller that highly thrives off of the lead performances of Rachel McAdams and Cillian Murphy. Additionally, it's an amusing change of style for director Wes Craven, who manages to pack this film with lots of tight moments of tension and… More
A hugely underrated character-driven thriller that highly thrives off of the lead performances of Rachel McAdams and Cillian Murphy. Additionally, it's an amusing change of style for director Wes Craven, who manages to pack this film with lots of tight moments of tension and twists throughout.
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A tightly-paced, efficiently directed and acted slice of horror concerning a hotel manager (Rachel McAdams) whose father's (Brian Cox) life is threatened while on a "red eye" flight by a first-charming individual (Cillian Murphy), who demands that she switches the room… More
A tightly-paced, efficiently directed and acted slice of horror concerning a hotel manager (Rachel McAdams) whose father's (Brian Cox) life is threatened while on a "red eye" flight by a first-charming individual (Cillian Murphy), who demands that she switches the room of a politician in her hotel so that an assassination can be smoothly executed. Horror master Wes Craven effortlessly runs this picture, loading it with suspense, phenomenal music to heighten the terror, and gets the most out of his young two-some of McAdams and Murphy. The first 2/3 effectively build to a thrilling conclusion, which is a little silly but unmistakably entertaining. I really wish more horror movies were done like this, concentrated on characters and their decisions, as opposed to "boo!" moments and supernatural elements. This one gets it right.
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Good thriller, I liked it. Different type of movie for Wes Craven, but he delivered.
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What begins as a fairly interesting basic thriller soon spirals out of control and goes into the absurd heights. For me Wes Craven has always been a overrated director among horror-buffs. He lacks style and is actually more concerned in shocking audiences than building a tension.… More
What begins as a fairly interesting basic thriller soon spirals out of control and goes into the absurd heights. For me Wes Craven has always been a overrated director among horror-buffs. He lacks style and is actually more concerned in shocking audiences than building a tension. Cillian Murphy carries the film for a first thid but even his character turns into parody of a serial killer. It tries to be effective nail-biter, but ends up being something closer to an Craven's own lame Scream-franchise with ridicilous terrorist-plot. Avoid!
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Weird and scary. I liked it! A must see!
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Considering that this was made by Wes Craven, it is an interesting departure from his usual work. The film may be a bit formulaic and cliched, but it has plenty of tricks to make it a fairly entertaining thriller film. Red eye is nothing original, and it feels that the film… More
Considering that this was made by Wes Craven, it is an interesting departure from his usual work. The film may be a bit formulaic and cliched, but it has plenty of tricks to make it a fairly entertaining thriller film. Red eye is nothing original, and it feels that the film doesn't play it safe by using the traditional Thriller formula. Though, it's nothing new; Red Eye is a wonderful film with a good cast. Cillian Murphy is terrific as Jackson Rippner, a psycho who kidnaps Lisa Reisert by Rachel McAdams and tells her that if she doesn't help her kill a politician staying at the hotel where she's working at, he'll kill her father. Simple, but effective plot, Red Eye is not excellent, but is certainly better than most derivative thrillers that use the same formula for the fact it has a good cast of actors. Like I've said, Red Eye is a different style for Wes Craven, and it shows that he's able to direct something good and entertaining without it being a horror film. I really admire the fact that he decided to do something different and the result is satisfying. Sure there a few things to improve upon, but for the most part, it's well made film that better than most films that deal with a similar plot. Wes Craven has made a very entertaining but flawed film. However the acting on Cillian Murphy and Rachel McAdams part saves this film from being a train wreck. A formulaic, thrilling experience, Red Eye is a good thriller to watch when theres nothing good on TV.
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Formulaic but effective thrill ride. Wes Craven's direction is spot-on, and his attention to detail is evident after a second viewing. Red Eye receives great support from Marco Beltrami's score. Both leads render impressive performances: Rachel McAdams and Cillian Murphy are… More
Formulaic but effective thrill ride. Wes Craven's direction is spot-on, and his attention to detail is evident after a second viewing. Red Eye receives great support from Marco Beltrami's score. Both leads render impressive performances: Rachel McAdams and Cillian Murphy are two of the best young actors in the business.
It may not be a groundbreaking premise, but Craven, McAdams and Murphy form a great team that delivers an exciting, fast-paced adventure.
But seriously, what about the airline's name? Fresh Air? Come on!
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An ok Thriller, with a better than expected performance from Rachel McAdams and a less than worthy performances from Cillian Murphy.
Enjoyable and easy watching, but also easily forgettable.
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hotel manager Lisa Reisert who after attending the funeral of her grandmother is on her way back to Miami to make it in time for work the next day. She takes the Red Eye flight ,where she doesnt realise she is seated next to her own worst nightmare, Jack Ripner!!! Soon after take off… More
hotel manager Lisa Reisert who after attending the funeral of her grandmother is on her way back to Miami to make it in time for work the next day. She takes the Red Eye flight ,where she doesnt realise she is seated next to her own worst nightmare, Jack Ripner!!! Soon after take off she realizes that she is in fact kidnapped by Jack who needs her in order to assassinate William Keefe, head of Homeland Security. Jack threatens her with her fathers death if she refuses to co-operate.
a good suspense thriller which kept me intrerested!
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A really good and well thought out suspense film. A great cast really helps the narrative. Some parts were fairly predictable but it was intelligent and interesting following the story.
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Good storyline. Rachel is on a flight and one of the passengers threatens to kill her father unless she helps him to kill a government official who is staying at her hotel. Good cast.
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Great movie! Kept me on the edge of my seat!
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If I'd first read the plot of this movie and was then supposed to make a decision whether to watch it or not, then I'd surely had skipped it. The plot is similar to the one in Die Hard 2, but the execution makes this one watchable. Rachel was simply awesome. She rocked the… More
If I'd first read the plot of this movie and was then supposed to make a decision whether to watch it or not, then I'd surely had skipped it. The plot is similar to the one in Die Hard 2, but the execution makes this one watchable. Rachel was simply awesome. She rocked the movie. She was no less than Bruce Willis, just her character was not the same as of Bruce Willis in Die Hard. She was an average girl who got stubborn with the circumstances, not a die hard type before she became the victim of some dreadful circumstances. The film begins at a lower pace, but after a while, it just takes off, such that you won't like your eyes take off the movie. Alas, if you love thrillers, do yourself a favor, just don't miss this one.
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A full-throttle thriller. A tense, smart, suspenseful and adrenaline-pumping roller coaster ride of a movie. It's fast-paced and totally gripping. Riveting, brilliant and outstanding. Rachel McAdams is stunning. Cillian Murphy is fantastic. These two young and appealing stars… More
A full-throttle thriller. A tense, smart, suspenseful and adrenaline-pumping roller coaster ride of a movie. It's fast-paced and totally gripping. Riveting, brilliant and outstanding. Rachel McAdams is stunning. Cillian Murphy is fantastic. These two young and appealing stars give breakout performances showing that they are forces to be reckoned with. Fasten your seat belt for one exhilarating ride because it will just keeps getting better and better. It's endlessly enjoyable, terrifically entertaining and terrifying. It's packed with lots of suspense, thrills and action. Director, Wes Craven's finest film in year's. A classic. Even that it runs near eighty minutes long it feels complete and very well done.
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I really enjoyed this, a great improvement from Wes Craven and very original. Cillian Murphy plays the ultimate psychopath that is both calm and disturbing at the same time. Rachel McAdams also did a great job playing a character that was both sympathetic an realistic. It's a… More
I really enjoyed this, a great improvement from Wes Craven and very original. Cillian Murphy plays the ultimate psychopath that is both calm and disturbing at the same time. Rachel McAdams also did a great job playing a character that was both sympathetic an realistic. It's a perfect anti-romantic Horror.
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Like all but a few thrillers, the plot is not airtight, but the above average (for this type of film) performances, overall decent writing, and Craven's skilled direction make this a first rate b-movie. It's fun, entertaining, and does what it's supposed to. I really… More
Like all but a few thrillers, the plot is not airtight, but the above average (for this type of film) performances, overall decent writing, and Craven's skilled direction make this a first rate b-movie. It's fun, entertaining, and does what it's supposed to. I really enjoyed it.
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Annoying, annoying & annoying, I'm really getting tired of this kind of movies, The story sucks, Characters are like puppets, Everything is shallow & it has this annoying cliche formula: Throughout the first half of the movie the villian is smart & invincible &… More
Annoying, annoying & annoying, I'm really getting tired of this kind of movies, The story sucks, Characters are like puppets, Everything is shallow & it has this annoying cliche formula: Throughout the first half of the movie the villian is smart & invincible & our hero is a chicken then suddenly in the second half the villian becomes dumb & incapable and our hero becomes smart & invincible(here sexy too) and starts to kick the villain's ass, If you want to make a just-for-etertainment movie at least make the damn thing watchable, Why Cillian Murphy who is a great actor wanted his role in this so badly is beyond me, I also don't know why I'm giving this one star, for what really?
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The main idea is good. A charming stranger on the night flight next to you starts threatening to kill your dad at home if you don't make the call he wants you to make. And for a while that works pretty well, with Murphy being threatening and McAdams nicely panicked. Somewhere on… More
The main idea is good. A charming stranger on the night flight next to you starts threatening to kill your dad at home if you don't make the call he wants you to make. And for a while that works pretty well, with Murphy being threatening and McAdams nicely panicked. Somewhere on the way things do get somewhat predictable, though and the showdown (sadly outside the more claustrophobic airplane setting) is following the conventions of the genre way too easily. Fortunately, the movie is short and entertaining before you have the time to think about how often you have seen similar solutions already. Still, not bad for genre fans.
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A nice tight thriller, I never get enough of Cillian Murphy.
Read all 20 featured audience ratings
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