by Philip Ellwood 5th September 2005
Wes Craven has lost his form in recent years. The disappointing ‘Cursed‘ lived up to it‘s title and bombed. Several months on Craven tries again, this time with the suspense thriller ‘Red Eye‘.
‘Red Eye‘ is about career-orientated Lisa Reisert (Rachel McAdams) who is trying to catch the Red Eye flight back to Miami after attending a family funeral in Dallas. Upon arrival at the airport she finds her plane is delayed and meets a handsome stranger, Jackson Rippner (Cillian Murphy). The pair separate after sharing a drink and soon find out that they have seats next to each other on the delayed flight. As Jackson engages Lisa in conversation it becomes clear that Jackson knows more about Lisa than he first let on and that her father is in danger...
The first hour of the film is fantastic. The chemistry between McAdams and Murphy is electric. The plane setting is claustraphobic and the suspense will keep you on the edge of your seats. Rachel McAdams proves her worth and justifies the hype whilst Cillian Murphy turns in another triumphant performance with a subtle creepy edge. As Lisa tries to find ways of alerting her fellow passengers that Jackson is dangerious the audience literally holds their breath whilst transfixed to see what she does next.
Unfortunately the film‘s final 30 minutes are a disappointment. After a thrilling and superb first hour the story descends into cliche driven Wes Craven territory. The plot and the suspense just simply falls flat once the plane is grounded and despite their best efforts McAdams and Murphy can‘t keep the momentum going. Everything seems to climax very conveniently and just the way you predicted it would do. This doesn‘t ruin the film, it just stops the film from being as great as it could have been.
‘Red Eye‘ is a good film and is still better than most thrillers around but the end just feels rushed and undeveloped. Hopefully the DVD will be a director‘s cut. If you like suspense and don‘t mind suspending belief for 90 minutes then this film is worth checking out.
Cast
Rachel McAdams
Cillian Murphy
Brian Cox
Director - Wes Craven
Distributor - Dreamworks
UK Release Date - 2nd September 2005
Celebrities Worldwide Rating: 7 out of 10
David Jensen Photography:
https://www.davidjensen.co.uk/
