Now playing in theaters is Eye in the Sky, an ensemble war movie that examines the morality of drone strikes in the Iraq war. Starring Helen Mirren, Aaron Paul, and the late Alan Rickman, Eye in the Sky provides a unique point of view about modern warfare–specifically, the effects that come from striking from afar when total safety cannot be guaranteed.
Eye in the Sky doesn’t play as a dark and gritty war movie, as its focus is not on the boots on the ground stories typically seen in war movies, but rather, on the backdoor political strategies and negotiations that come when discussing airstrikes, bringing to mind the tense and impassioned boardroom discussions a la 12 Angry Men.
As Colonel Katherine Powell, Dame Helen Mirren asserts herself as a UK military leader leading a covert espionage mission, to spy on a terrorist cell’s meeting. As she observes and leads the mission from a British base (the use of remote-controlled cameras disguised as small insects allow them to observe the meeting), Powell communicates to a remote UK board room, filled with political heads and affiliate military members, including Lt. General Frank Benson, played by Alan Rickman who gives his signature calm, cool, and collected intelligence to the mission. When intel reveals bomb vests and explosives, the movie siphons to one question of morality: should a drone strike be ordered to neutralize the enemy, in the middle of a crowded village?
Making the decision harder is the untimely presence of a young local girl, selling bread within the blast zone area. Here, Mirren and Rickman hedge their military experience in advising to follow through with the mission, providing the rationale that in war, saving numerous lives oft comes with sacrifices.
Holding the large weight of the movie’s morality is the man with his actual finger on the trigger; Aaron Paul plays Steve Watts, a drone pilot who becomes the sole person left to stand in the way of Powell’s orders. Himself being at the center of Powell’s own crosshairs leads to tense moments that make for a gripping finale. Director Gavin Hood weaves together a necessary war movie that skillfully navigates through all aspects of the new political landscape of modern warfare.
102 min. Rated R for some violent images and language.
