Red Eye stretches believability to the breaking point more than once, but the story moves with such headlong speed that there's scarcely time to object.
Red Eye (2005)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
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
Get This Movie
Reviews for Red Eye
[The film] goes painfully traditional in its last act, but until then it's an extraordinary exercise in claustrophobia: a movie Hitchcock might have made about our 9/11 paranoia.
There are enough thrills during the final third to give Red Eye viewers a few of Craven's patented jolts near the end. But it requires forbearance for both a silly script and uneven pacing to get to that point.
This is what we call summer entertainment, and who would have thought that a mid-August barnburner would emerge as one of the best films of the summer?
There's something to be said for a movie that takes a modest premise, executes it efficiently and sends us packing in less time than it takes to cook a roast.
Taut. Tense. Gripping. Suspenseful. This reviewer hasn't used those words in so long I think I heard the keyboard cough. Nevertheless, they all apply to Wes Craven's Red Eye.
This nifty, tense thriller directed by Wes Craven brings together a classic setup and a relevant-sounding if thoroughly undercooked story involving worldwide terrorism.
It's encouraging that Craven cast two relative newcomers who are excited about being in the film, rather than stale stars earning a paycheck.
Red-Eye is the work of a filmmaker in command of the full resources of the camera in telling a story visually and with economy.
Craven, an old hand at menace, shifts gears smoothly from the slasher parodies of Scream, offering a more subdued brand of suspense.
Current 'it' girl Rachel McAdams and Irish heartthrob Cillian Murphy had best hope this one passes beneath the radar at supersonic speed.
Craven uses the claustrophobic confines of the airplane well, keeping things moving to create visual interest but always making us aware of how vulnerable Lisa feels.
Coming in at a fairly miraculous 85 minutes ... its built-for-speed, no-nonsense style goes a long way toward juicing this summer's dog days.
Preposterous, to be sure. And the credibility gap only widens as Jack's lethal mission nears its consummation. But by that point, Craven already has us in the palm of his hand, smooth-talking us with a finesse worthy of his dashing villain.
A fun, suspenseful romp, thanks to good acting and an even better, economic 85-minute running time.
First-time screenwriter Carl Ellsworth and director Wes Craven don’t come up with a single clever way to generate suspense.
Features a scheme so needlessly convoluted that the heroine in peril even spends most of her time complaining about its ineptitude.
Latest News for Red Eye
September 07, 2006:
Box Office Guru Preview: Covenant Brings Evil to Theaters
After welcoming in four new wide releases per week for seven straight weekends, the North American box office slows it down a bit on Friday with only one saturation release and... More...
August 31, 2006:
Box Office Preview: "Crank" Closes Up Summer Movie Season
The summer movie season comes to an official end with the Labor Day holiday weekend unleashing three new releases plus the national expansion of a fourth. More...
August 24, 2006:
Box Office Preview: Invincible Aims for First Place Finish
Another wave of new releases hits the multiplexes across North America this weekend in hopes of capturing the final dollars of the summer movie season. More...
August 17, 2006:
Box Office Preview: "Snakes" Prepares For Takeoff
This weekend Samuel L. Jackson looks to seize control of the muthaf*ckin' box office with his new muthaf*ckin' film "Snakes on a Plane" which invades theaters on a... More...
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 77% 77% | The Hangover |
| 88% 88% | Inglourious Basterds |
| 66% 66% | Public Enemies |
| 24% 24% | G-Force |
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 90% 90% | District 9 |
| 86% 86% | 500 Days of Summer |
| 63% 63% | Extract |
| 06% 06% | All About Steve |
| 78% 78% | It Might Get Loud |
RT On Current TV
DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196 | More...
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
CloseSponsored Links
Fresh Links
Featured

Last week, MSN gave us their top 09 films. Now see what their favorites of the decade are!

Here's a list of the 50 best movies of 2009, according to the good people over at Moviefone.

Hollywood.com takes a stab at determining who in movies will be on Santa's naughty list in 2009.

TIME chimes in with their own list of the best films released this year.

Click through to see which movies BuzzSugar placed in their Best-of-Decade list!
Promos

Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!



Top Critic



