The set-up isn't classic Craven so much as it is Hitchcock -- Strangers on a Train combined with Saboteur, with the average Joe, or Jane, called upon to provide heroic feats in service of his/her country.
Red Eye (2005)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:176
Fresh:138
Rotten:38
Average Rating:6.6/10
Consensus: With solid performances and tight direction from Wes Craven, Red Eye is a brisk, economic thriller.
Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for some intense sequences of violence, and language
Runtime: 86 mins
Genre: Thriller
Theatrical Release:Aug 19, 2005 Wide
Box Office: $57,859,105
Synopsis: From director Wes Craven (the "Scream" franchise) comes "Red Eye," a suspense thriller at 30,000 feet, starring Rachel McAdams ("The Notebook," "Wedding Crashers") and Cillian Murphy ("Batman... From director Wes Craven (the "Scream" franchise) comes "Red Eye," a suspense thriller at 30,000 feet, starring Rachel McAdams ("The Notebook," "Wedding Crashers") and Cillian Murphy ("Batman Begins," "28 Days Later"). Lisa Reisert (Rachel McAdams) hates to fly, but the terror that awaits her on the night flight to Miami has nothing to do with a fear of flying. Upon boarding the plane, Lisa is pleasantly surprised to find that she is seated next to Jackson (Cillian Murphy), the seemingly charming man with whom she had shared a drink—and perhaps even a brief flirtation—in the airport terminal. But moments after takeoff, Jackson drops his façade and menacingly reveals the real reason he's on board: He is an operative in a plot to kill the Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security...and Lisa is the key to its success. If she refuses to cooperate, her own father will be killed by an assassin awaiting a call from Jackson. Trapped within the confines of a jet at 30,000 feet, Lisa has nowhere to run and no way to summon help without endangering her father, her fellow passengers and her own life. As the miles tick by, Lisa knows she is running out of time as she desperately looks for a way to thwart her ruthless captor and stop a terrible murder. "Red Eye" is directed by Wes Craven and produced by Chris Bender and Marianne Maddalena. The executive producers are Bonnie Curtis, Jim Lemley, JC Spink and Mason Novick. The screenplay was written by Carl Ellsworth from a story by Ellsworth and Dan Foos. --© Dreamworks [More]
Starring: Rachel McAdams, Cillian Murphy
Starring: Rachel McAdams, Cillian Murphy
Director: Wes Craven
Director: Wes Craven
Screenwriter: Carl Ellsworth
Story: Dan Foos
Producer: Chris Bender, Marianne Maddalena, Bonnie Curtis
Studio: DreamWorks Distribution LLC
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Reviews for Red Eye
A film that delivers high tension without the baggage of postmodern irony.
McAdams and Murphy keep this air disaster just gripping enough to survive. They're two actors to watch -- although one hopes we'll be watching them in better films than this.
Teach this one in film schools. Maybe it could save us from all those stupid, nobody-would-do-that plot turns, flaccid formula screenwriting and thrillers that run so long they lose their thrills.
The movie is a pleasant surprise at the end of summer, and an exciting detour from one of the most influential directors of horror films.
Once the plane touches land, things go downhill. The movie devolves into a by-the-book action flick.
This is a sophisticated genre movie, and it's effective on many levels.
A reliable addition to Craven's canon, despite some shaky scriptwriting and ludicrous developments.
If you can sit back, buckle up and forgive the plot holes on its runway, Craven's bumpy ride is rollicking entertainment, careening from winking humor and cutting dialogue to big action payoffs.
Sitting through Red Eye is like watching a master carpenter at work on a custom bookcase. No one would call the result art, but you're sure bound to admire the sheer craft of the thing.
The movie works best when the action is confined to two people on the plane, because it isn't able to resort to silly action. Cillian Murphy is excellent at being menacing.
Rare these days is the thriller that takes its time, allowing us to get comfortable with the characters and the characters to get comfortable with one another before starting the chase or inducing the shocks.
There are no dinosaurs, starships, monsters or special effects involved. Just two humans pressed too close to one another, locked in a fight for survival. What could be more frightening?
While a few of the film's more preposterous story elements do remain glaring, Red Eye is nonetheless enjoyable and exciting, something more than merely a guilty pleasure.
If you can suspend enough disbelief to follow a plot that sacrifices itself on an altar of cheap, end-of-picture thrills, you'll get your money's worth.
Briskly paced, it takes less time than a flight from Denver to L.A. It may not be a classic, but it's way more satisfying than a mini-bag of pretzels and a soda.
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