Manipulative To The Very End... "Eye In The Sky"

Eye In The Sky (2015)

Rated PG-13

Starring Helen Mirren, Aisha Takow, Aaron Paul, Phoebe Fox, Alan Rickman,

Directed by Gavin Hood

The Story:

Colonel Powell (Mirren) has discovered a location that contains some of British Intelligence's most wanted in Kenya. As the operatives on the ground prepare to stage an attack, the drone piloted by Americans show that they are preparing suicide vests for an attack. They need to attack now, risking the lives of a few innocents to save potentially hundreds. What should be an easy decision is strained to the breaking point by being politically correct in a war that is anything but.

So that describes it in a nutshell, but the movie is anything but boring.

It's fascinating the hoops that the program is attempting to jump through to make sure that everyone is satisfied, or absolved of any potential blame should things go badly.

Giving the okay is General Benson (Rickman) and the amount of people he has to get the okay from to dispatch the kill order is extremely lengthy.

That the whole operation then hinges on the American drone pilots (Paul & Fox) who discover a little girl (Takow) selling bread and threatens to compromise the entire mission.

As Rickman's final performance, he left us far too soon, he delivers a wonderful performance as the commander who knows what to do, but appropriately checks off each box that has to be done to satisfy 30 different masters. He then delivers a powerful quote at the end that literally puts tears into his biggest detractor.

Mirren also shines as the mission leader who may very well have to compromise credibility in order to take several threats off the board in one swift action.

As for the American pilots, it's nice to see a sense of compassion...

But...

Seriously?

That may have been a little too much compassion.

Well acted, nearly real-time thriller that stretches my suspension of disbelief just a hair too far.

Final Grade: C+