Red Eye

DreamWorks Home Entertainment / 2005 / 85 Minutes / PG-13
Street Date: January 10, 2006

You never know who is sitting next to you on an airliner . . . Returning from a Texas funeral to Florida, Lisa (Rachel McAdams, Mean Girls) is rushing again. She manages a Miami luxury hotel and nearly has her cell phone welded to her ear, constantly talking with and guiding her insecure, bug-eyed hotel assistant, Cynthia (Jayma Mays, Entourage) who’s trying to keep the hotel running smoothly in Lisa’s absence.

In the airport terminal Lisa meets a blandly flirtatious man with the dubious name of Jackson Rippner (Cillian Murphy, Batman Begins). Shocker of shockers, when they board the plane, their seats are next to one another. The story quickly takes an odd twist. At 30,000 feet, Lisa is told that her hotel is involved unknowingly in the planned assassination of a high-profile government official planning to stay the night. One critical element of the ambush relies on her cooperation. As the stakes grow high and the emotional screws tightened, Lisa must pull herself together. She must find it within herself to be resourceful and fierce if she is to survive this violent game and save lives, including her own.

Moviegoers and critics alike have called this a great thriller, and I agree! I recommend this film without hesitation; it’s a taut, sharp story that had me riveted. Wes Craven has filmed a great-looking, sharp thriller that doesn’t rely on blood and guts to create a plausibly lethal crisis. The film is well acted, well produced, and most important of all, is well written from first-time feature film screenwriter, Carl Ellsworth. Let’s hope Ellsworth doesn’t stop writing screenplays. I admit that there are moments when you must suspend your belief, but for the most part, this three-act film is very clear, very linear, and never slows its momentum to the very end.

Usually, when I critique a film in a DVD review, I’ll try to encapsulate the story in one paragraph (this rare occasion, it became two), explain what I liked about the film, describe what I didn’t like about the film, mention possible compromises, and then offer final thoughts. That is how I like to read film reviews. Well, there is very little to dislike about this film, yet talking too much about it can too easily reveal spoilers. For much of the film, I thought it couldn’t have been better. My one criticism - strictly from a personal perspective - is that I didn’t care for the casting of Cillian Murphy.

Murphy was fantastic and perfectly cast as the lead, Jim (what a great name) in 2002’s hit film 28 Days. I can’t imagine that film without his wondering face always looking like, “Ok, what the hell is coming next.” That tightly sprung, survivalist zombie film was layered insidiously with frightening realities. However, he just absolutely irritated the snot out of me in Red Eye as a kind of know-it-all villain with self-satisfied mugging in close-ups of his droopy eyes, mop of hair, yellow teeth, and small unimposing frame. His all too crisp American accent (he’s Irish) in a gratingly lowest-voice whisper further drove me to wish that his character was played by someone else. I can’t deny that Murphy is dedicated to the role, does everything that he’s supposed to do, and embodies the role with all of his soul. He approached Craven to take this complex role, and I admire him as an actor. But throughout the film, wanting a different up and coming performer to play Jackson Rippner constantly distracted me. Thankfully, the impetus of the film eclipsed my reaction to the actor.

In contrast, despite being clothed and styled as quite the ingénue, looking like a woman on the cover of a romance novel (couldn’t she have been a little darker and more volatile?), Rachel McAdams is terrific, distinct, strong, very natural, and gorgeous. I enjoyed her every second on screen. However, imagine the role of Lisa played by a slightly vampy Fairuza Balk (perhaps best known as the scene chewing witch from 1996’s The Craft). Let the sparks fly!

This is a fun thriller that you must see. At the very least, I strongly encourage you to put near the top of your rental list. You won’t be sorry, except you might not want to fly a red eye again.

The Video: How Does The Disc Look?

This film is presented in its theatrical aspect ratio of 2.40:1 in anamorphic video. This is a great looking film. Colors are well saturated and are well realized throughout the film. Film grain is noticeably tight and rather glamorous in a way that only a well-shot film can exhibit. Definition and detail look quite good, and I noticed no edge halos or compression problems. Flesh tones looked great, but leaned a touch toward orange in the plane’s internal lighting. Shadow detail is very good, but only to a point. Disconcertingly, evening shots did not display the confident, richest blacks that high profile films usually render. I was bummed about that the most. It’s most obvious against the widescreen bars. Other than that everything is extremely stable, smooth, and attractively composed in the wide aspect ratio. You must tell friends and family interested in Red Eye to avoid the pan and scan version; it chops off half of the film including some principal actors in key scenes.

The Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?

The audio is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1, and it’s quite exciting. Pleasing separation is notable among the front speakers. The audio has a nice depth and a frequency range that enhances a sense of presence. The .1 LFE is very active and reaches impressively natural sonic depths. It was a reminder that my woofer is alive and hungry. Good stuff! Dialogue is so very, very clear that you can literally recognize that Cillian Murphy seems to be unnaturally forcing his voice to it’s lowest pitch combined with a whisper; it may be revealing, but it irritated me. Pans from the front channels to the surrounds are quite good, with occasional sidewall imaging that is fun to experience.

The surrounds are used significantly throughout the film and the full range of dynamics is evident. I got close to one of my surrounds during a plane landing and felt it emit bass as well as the echoed high screech of the plane’s tires. Discrete effects are sometimes noticeable, but don’t call too much attention to themselves; perhaps they could’ve been more assertive in their distinction. The score is well placed and full-bodied within the mix, and for once, doesn’t stand out as the obviously superior element of the audio mix. Everything is blended together very well, and most should be more than pleased. Thirty people are recognized in the film’s sound department (per IMDb.com), and that is likely why your home theater will rock with finesse.

Other optional audio tracks are in French Dolby Digital 5.1 and English Dolby Surround 2.0. The film includes English, French, and Spanish subtitles, and English Closed Captions.

Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

Please be aware that the supplements give away much of the twists, turns, and plot devices. So if you have not yet seen the film, I advise you to avoid the supplements until you have.

First up for supplements is The Making of Red Eye featurette (11:37). This is pretty straightforward featurette that focuses on the technical aspects of the plane and a few key scenes. Production studio footage is revealed. The principal actors, Craven, the screenwriter, and a producer are interviewed. All seem down to earth for this relatively solid making-of; no fawning, just the meat and potatoes of the film. This is a tidy featurette.

Next up is Wes Craven: A New Kind of Thriller featurette (10:49). Ah ha! Here is where they put all the fawning! The casting is discussed, and the cast talks about how wonderful the script is and how terrific it is to work with the sheepish Craven. There is truth to that, though, because Craven is considered an actor’s director, and many breezy interactions with the actors on set are shown. This featurette also talks about Craven momentarily leaving the horror genre for a thriller. Let’s just face the fact that Craven could do anything he wants. But as he always states, any good film must first have a good script.

Following that is a Gag Reel (6:30), which is fun. Random scenes from throughout the film show the action going wrong and funny flubs. Some actors get a little zany. Especially hilarious is the actress who loses her scarf . . . and has a crush on Jackson. This is as entertaining as most gag reels or bloopers usually are. Fans and anyone who’s seen the film should love it.

Next is a screen-specific audio-commentary by director Wes Craven, producer Marianne Maddalena, and editor Patrick Lussier. This great bunch of filmmakers offers much trivia as well as technical information. Some conflicts are described. Overall, this crew really moves and keeps up with the action on screen. They also talk a lot about the acting and plot structure, which is a little obvious when watching the film for the second time with the commentary running, but it’s great to hear it from them regardless. A film editor becomes necessarily intimate with a film from intense, repeated viewings of the almost-final product. The editor is one of the best craftsmen to participate in a commentary to offer details, and Lussier is great. Fans of the film and commentary lovers alike should enjoy this.

One interesting revelation from the commentary is the casting of the Mrs. Taylor character, the cranky hotel guest. The “actress” was the woman responsible for the film’s marketing at DreamWorks: Theresa Press-Marx. When she participated in a meeting with a large group of marketers and some of the filmmakers, her vibrant personality immediately caused Craven to look at Maddalena and say, “there’s our cranky hotel customer!” Press-Marx was shocked at this whiplash change of expectations, and was put off by having no acting experience. But she was coaxed, and, honestly, nails the (unfortunately, almost one-note) role with gusto and precision. Like they say, “Show business is a funny business.”

And last, there are trailers for: Just Like Heaven, Cry Wolf, and The Island.

Exclusive DVD-ROM Features: What happens when you pop the disc into your PC?

No DVD-ROM features are included.

Final Thoughts

Red Eye is a taut, fun thriller that even with a good reputation still is better than I expected, a definite thrill. Don’t be shocked by iconic horror director Wes Craven changing genres to a PG-13 rated thriller. The man is obviously talented enough to recognize a solid script and can rise above such scare fests as Freddy Kruger films or Scream. Let’s hope he continues to explore a variety of film genres. The film is very well crafted, the transfer is quite good, the audio is smashing, and supplements are good. While it’s a little steep with an SRP of thirty bucks, a discounted price should encourage a purchase. Still not convinced? Then at the very least, this terrific DVD is recommended as a rental.