Eye in the Sky is the new suspense / war-on-terror movie about the ethics and the math behind drone strikes. The premise is that the British and the Americans have eyes (in the sky) on a house-full of terrorists who are actively constructing a pair of suicide vests – but they are in a crowded area full of citizens including a little girl selling bread out on the street. Should they take the shot and risk killing the civilians or let it go and risk a suicide bombing that could kill even more people.
The movie stars Helen Mirren as the commander of the British officer in charge of the strike. She’s joined by Alan Rickman (in one of his last roles), Aaron Paul, Barkad Abdi (the pirate from Captain Philips), and Iain Glen (Jorah Mormont on Game of Thrones) – among other vaguely recognizable – and very good – actors.
This is a pretty great, very suspenseful, and very thoughtful film. It takes strides to not take sides in the strike – it presents the facts and largely lets you decide who is right and who is wrong. If they don’t take the strike girl, then would they be responsible for the terrorist bombing? If they make the kill, do they lose the propaganda war? If the terrorists set of their bomb, do they lose that same war? What is the acceptable rules of engagement in this long chain of command involving both American and British officers and civilian government as well as the Kenyan government soldiers on the ground.
I think the movie does, ultimately, take a side but its still smart enough to give the other side its due. I appreciate that the movie doesn’t allow easy answers and I also appreciate that it shows the very real repercussions of the decisions made. This is an entertaining movie on top of the ethical dilemmas so don’t think it’s a 90 minute lecture on geopolitics.
I really recommend this film if you can find it. Very well acted, very suspenseful, and fairly surprising to boot.
Score: 90