Eye in the Sky

Gavin Hood's Eye in the Sky is a movie to be savored.  It is not only wonderfully acted and emotionally powerful, but it is almost forensic in its depiction of a drone strike seen from various points of view, and the various moral dilemmas these people face because of the situation.  Rather than take a standard three-act narrative, the movie instead almost seems to be done in real time, so we feel like we are right there with the characters.  And although it is technically a drama, it is generally and completely thrilling.

Somewhere in Nairobi, three of the world's most wanted Somali jihadists are meeting within a home, and prepping two young recruits for a suicide bombing mission.  We witness the different military officials from around the world witnessing this through spy camera equipment, and get to know their personal views of the situation, and how they want it to be handled.  British Colonel Powell (Helen Mirren) is the head of the operation, watching the action from London.  Her two American drone pilots (Aaron Paul and Phoebe Fox) are in Las Vegas, awaiting her command, with their hand on the button that will launch a missile that will take out the house the terrorists are currently in, hopefully with limited casualties to the surrounding area.

There are complications, naturally.  Two of the targets within the house are UK citizens, while another is an American.  This means they have to let government officials in on the discussion on the course of action to take.  Lt. General Benson, played by Alan Rickman, in his final on screen appearance (his final film will be a voice over role in the upcoming Alice Through the Looking Glass), is watching the action with British officials.  They want this to be a capture operation, but as the situation intensifies, it becomes apparent that a proper arrest is just not possible, and that they will have to strike the house before they can set their suicide bomb plot into motion.  A local operative (Barkhad Abdi) is scoping out the house, and sending information back to his superiors.  Everyone soon comes to the conclusion that firing a missile at the house is the best course of action.  But then a little girl (Aisha Takow) wanders in, setting up a stand where she is selling bread right outside of the wall that surrounds the targeted house.   

What starts as an issue of whether they have proper authority to bomb the house from a drone takes on an even trickier angle once the girl enters the picture.  If the house is destroyed, and the girl dies or suffers, then the terrorist group will obviously use her as a propaganda tool, saying that the military knew about the girl's presence, and attacked anyway.  And of course, there will be the public outcry.  As Colonel Powell tries to rework the situation (Is there a part of the house they can target that would still maximize damage to it, while minimizing the chance the girl will die from the blast?), the movie focuses on the rapidly escalating situation, and the decision making that goes into it.  The screenplay by Guy Hibbert is masterful in the way it increases the tension and atmosphere, and even adds in a few touches of humor, such as when a British official is forced to join in on the conversation, even though he is trapped in a hotel room in Singapore, fighting a bout of food poisoning. 

Eye in the Sky does an excellent job of setting up its wide range of characters involved in the situation, who are placed in different parts of the world, and must communicate with each other through video and phone calls.  It never gets confusing, and the movie does a great job in setting up these characters, and the role they play in the decision process.  Holding everything together is the wonderful performance by Helen Mirren, who plays a tough and determined woman who understands the possible problems that will result from her actions, but also knows that if her job is not completed, the end results could be much worse.  We also get to see the two American soldiers, whose finger is on the button that will launch the missile, and their conflicted emotions on what they are about to do.  This is a movie that views the situation from multiple angles, and offers no easy answers or solutions, which is perhaps for the best.  There will no doubt be a view this movie covers that someone in the audience will agree with, and will most likely spark conversation or debate on the way home about what could have or should have been done.

This is an intelligent and thought provoking movie that never once manipulates or plays favorites.  It's an even-handed and powerful look at a very tense situation, and that tension carries right through to the very end, as the characters reflect on everything that has happened.  There is no reflection through dialogue, mind you.  Actually, the final moments are very quiet, as they should be.  We can see it on the faces of the actors, and how the outcome weighs on them in different ways, based on their views.  Eye in the Sky is an impeccable film, one of the best of the year.

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