With the similarly set Flight Plan coming this fall, Red Eye shows that it can compete with the best of them in the thriller category. Director Wes Craven, best known for his popular horror films like Nightmare on Elm Street and Scream, has stretched his muscles into the suspense genre and has succeeded with a modest, effective gem.
Lisa Reisert (Rachel McAdams) is a hotel manager who is flying home from a funeral when she meets a charming stranger, Jackson Ripper (Cillian Murphy), who ends up threatening her on board the flight. He wants her to call the hotel and change a seemingly innocent reservation for a VIP or her father will be killed. With this premise, a terrified Lisa must contemplate a way to save her father and prevent an even larger plot to assassinate the VIP (who is an official of Homeland Security). Despite her every move, Jackson manages to stay one step ahead of her. As the plane arrives at the airport and the VIP arrives at the hotel, Lisa acts out of desperation to protect not only her father but attempt to thwart a convoluted conspiracy.
That’s it! That is the storyline, and Craven makes the most of a simple setup in character and plot. As an exercise in visceral excitement, the film succeeds admirably with a simple, almost TV plotline. There is a good sketch of characters as they are casually introduced at the beginning. Once the setup is established at takeoff, the plot likewise takes a sinister turn. The interplay between Murphy’s hunter and McAdams’ hunted works quite well as they parry and thrust verbally and then figuratively in front of a mostly oblivious compliment of bystanders. It is remarkable how much of the film’s running time takes place in such tight quarters, but that plays to the strengths of the script by Carl Ellsworth. It does not seem stagy, and yet the suspense quotient is heightened in this intriguing mousetrap. And Craven knows that a human monster like Ripper can be just as scary as any movie monster because it is part of a real world.
The screenplay has some interesting subplots like the assassination scenario which by itself is innovative and not far fetched. At times there is Hitchcock feel with its ‘every man’ or in this case ‘every woman’ lead whose actions and thoughts draw the audience into complicity with the nefarious plot. You think, ‘how is she ever going to warn her father and how the heck is she going to prevent this diabolical plan from being executed so to speak.’
There are minor disappointments overall. It could have been a more compelling story had it delved deeper into Lisa’s mysterious past and trauma and how she evolves as a person from her harrowing experience. But that’s what comes from being spoiled by a film that starts out so promisingly. It does come back to earth when the plane touches down leading to a more standard action ending. The pace, however, is well edited for maximum effect.
McAdams shows the appropriate terror and anxiety and is quite believable. After making her mark in films such as the romantic drama The Notebook and comedies like Mean Girls and Wedding Crashers, she is showing a good range of versatility, and by tackling this genre of suspense, she can move on to other subject matter worthy of her growing abilities. Murphy (quite good in Batman Returns) is talented enough to have other memorable roles. He mixes enough maniacal creepiness with cold, ruthless mercenary in guise of a handsome companion. He needs to avoid future psycho roles lest he becomes typecast.
Although it resorts to a conventional ending, the ride is worth it. It is truly refreshing to see a film that knows when not to overstay its welcome as it clocks in at less than 90 minutes. Once the story is over, it’s over. Maybe Mr. Craven might consider staying in this genre a bit longer. Red Eye is one nifty little thriller.
*** of **** stars
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