Review: ‘Eye in the Sky’ doesn’t pretend there is an easy answer to a messy debate

Posted on April 8, 2016

By MARK VIOLA

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the subsequent fights against terrorist organizations elsewhere in the Middle East have long been controversial. One of the most debated aspects of modern warfare has been the use of drones.

Now comes the movie “Eye in the Sky,” which tackles this subject head on, but unlike so many recent films about these conflicts, it does not pretend or claim to have the right answer. Instead, it presents a situation in which is there is no true “right” answer, and allows the audience to decide if the correct–or most correct–decisions were made.

The result is a tense and compelling war and political thriller which grabs its audience from the earliest moments and doesn’t let go until the final credits roll thanks to a smart script, deft direction and a bevy of strong performances from the cast.

The story of “Eye in the Sky” follows a group of characters scattered across the globe, which is one of the points being made by the film. Col. Katherine Powell (Helen Mirren, “Woman in Gold”) is a British military officer in London commanding an operation in Kenya to capture a group of known terrorists, including two British nationals and an American national. Lt. General Frank Benson (Alan Rickman, “Harry Potter”) is her superior serving as a go-between between the ongoing operation and the politicians looking over their shoulder. Meanwhile, Steve Watts (Aaron Paul, “Breaking Bad”), stationed in Nevada outside Las Vegas, is the pilot of the drone providing the reconnaissance for the operation. In fact, the only people involved in the mission actually in Kenya, let alone Africa, are the local military and intelligence officers ready to enact the capture once they confirm the terrorists’ location.

The mission takes a turn, however, when they finally track the terrorists to a home where a pair of suicide bombers are preparing for an eminent attack, one which is likely to kill scores of innocent people. The operation is converted from one of capture to a kill mission, which opens up a slew of new questions and debates.

The easiest message to glean from “Eye in the Sky” is war is messy. And frankly that is a good thing. War should never be an easy thing. While drone warfare is thus not uniquely messy, it does open new questions and new debates. And like with many messy debates in life, there are rarely easy answers.

The film is rated R for some violent images and language.

(This is a abbreviated version of the full review available in our printed or e-edition papers.)

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