Review: Red Eye (B-)

Red Eye (2005)
Directed by Wes Craven
Starring Rachel McAdams, Cillian Murphy, Brian Cox, Jayma Mays
Rated: PG-13
Grade: B-

Review by Sebastian Francis Kennedy

Red Eye is a thrilling little film... at least for the first half. Directed by horror film veteran Wes Craven, Red Eye has it's moments of chills and thrills, but in the end, this film does not complete the job.

Rachel McAdams (Wedding Crashers) stars as Lisa Reisert, a young hotel manager that is taking a much needed vacation. While waiting for her plane, she meets Rippner (played by Cillian Murphy, the wonderful villian from Batman Begins) a ruthless man that threatens family. I won't give away too much of the plot here, but suffice it to say that this is a simple, honest mystery/thriller held together by fine acting.

Kudos aside, the plot to Red Eye has loopholes galore and the ending breaks down into rather standard fare. There are a million opportunities in this film where the viewer asks "why doesn't the main character do something different?"

If you are seeking out a decent thriller to rent, you could do much worse than Red Eye. This capable film moves nicely, has tight cinematography and editing. The acting is above par in Red Eye, and despite a flawed script, the film is recommended.