Eagle Eye: Not Quite 20/20

Poor, poor Shia LaBeouf. While clearly a talented young actor who deserves the A-list designation that he has steadily risen to, his movies seem to be developing a consistent trend of plot twists and climaxes that basically suck. Sure, you don’t see Transformers for its layers of subtlety, but I’m sure the writers could have come up with something better than magic glasses  and “allsparks.” And while Indiana Jones 4 was a thoroughly enjoyable addition to the series, any and all ramblings about the crystal skulls of interdimensional beings just made my eyes glaze over. Now here comes Eagle Eye, a fast paced conspiracy thriller that despite its many tense, imaginative action scenes and quality performances, manages to screw the pooch in its final act with a painfully derivative plot reveal and an assassination attempt so goofy it should be written into Naked Gun 44 ¼. While I won’t be so unkind to my readers as to spoil said twist, know that it is a nearly precise carbon copy of similar developments in at least three classic blockbusters, and they all did it better.

But it’s not all bad news for Shia & company, not by a long shot. For one, I’m amazed that even in a post-Bourne cinematic landscape, there are still new and exciting ways to destroy a car. And regardless of my great disappointment at who’s behind the curtain, the gimmick of a terrorist organization with enough power to assume Big Brother levels of surveillance, manipulation, and control makes for at least a dozen thrilling, unsettling, and exceedingly clever moments. Also, director D.J. Caruso handles every major set piece with such skill and style as to feel like an experimental theme park ride.

In case you’re wondering by this point how all of these complaints and compliments fit into a cohesive framework, know that Eagle Eye is the story of Jerry Shaw (LaBeouf), a talented slacker squandering his 20s working at a copy shop in the Chicago suburbs. Shortly after receiving news of the death of his twin brother, a brilliant and ambitious Air Force officer, Jerry finds himself drop kicked into the unexpected when enough weapons and chemicals to start a sleeper cell appear in his apartment and a mysterious phone call tells him that the FBI is on their way. Elsewhere, a sweet single mom (Michelle Monaghan) finds herself in similar straits when the malicious powers that be threaten her son and force her to play chauffer to the fleeing Jerry. An FBI agent (Billy Bob Thornton) and an Air Force investigator (Rosario Dawson) reluctantly team up to catch the pair and stop whatever goal they’re being forced to work towards. Also notable in the cast is The Shield’s Michael Chiklis as the Secretary of Defense, a man whose actions in the decision to bomb a potential terrorist target in the Mideast may be rippling further than he suspected possible. All in all, if you check at least a third of your brain at the door, then Eagle Eye is first class entertainment that almost lives up to all its potential. Otherwise, stay home and watch Enemy of the State.