Red Eye Movie Review

Red Eye (2005)

Rent Red Eye on Amazon Video
Written by: Carl Ellsworth (screenplay),  Carl Ellsworth & Dan Foos (story)
Directed by: Wes Craven
Starring: Rachel McAdams, Cillian Murphy, Brian Cox
Rated: PG-13
Watch the trailer

Plot
A woman is kidnapped by a stranger on a routine flight. Threatened by the potential murder of her father, she is pulled into a plot to assist her captor in offing a politician.

Verdict
It's not a bad premise, but not unique. The plot is only half developed, relying heavily on being trapped on a plane with a terrorist. Once the movie loses that, the ending devolves into a standard slasher movie which is disappointing.
Skip it.

Review
Wes Craven directing something that isn't a horror movie, though it's not far off. This takes a while to get into the hook of this, instead building Rachel McAdams as the super hotel concierge. It becomes annoying when she defends guests that are flat out jerks.

Rachel McAdams plays a woman trapped on a plane.

The main plot is good. She's stuck on a plane with someone coercing her to become an accessory in murder. She must movie a politician at her hotel into a different room. The fun of this movie is her trying to escape from this guy that has considered all the angles. There is no place to go on a plane. The options are limited. This creates great tension.

Once the plan lands, this movie loses everything it had going for it, becoming a slasher movie which falls in line with Craven's typical movies. At this point I start considering the movie's shortcomings as the story is boring. I know how it will end.

This needs more information on why this politician needs to die. We don't need much, just something. This reminds me of Arlington Road, but the difference is Arlington Road has an ending that flips the whole movie and really makes you think. Red Eye feels like someone saw the beginning of Arlington Road  a few years ago and went from there. I don't like the ending of Red Eye, and the problem with this type of movie is that it doesn't' feel realistic. Go watch Arlington Road.