Red Eye film review

certificate_12A

RED EYE

Director Wes Craven has virtually become synonymous with the horror genre. His long and impressive list of credits includes the original Nightmare On Elm Street and all three Scream films. All of which makes this somewhat belated shift into the thriller genre a bold one, but with Red Eye he has proven as adept at keeping audiences on the edge of their seats as he is at having them leap out of them.

Although much credit goes to Craven's ability to continually build the tension throughout, it was with his choice of casting that he made his best decision. Cillian Murphy possesses a creepy, other-worldy aura reflected in the icy clarity of his mesmerising eyes which can switch between a flirtatious glint and chilling stare in a blink, while Rachel McAdams is rapidly establishing herself as an actress with a versatility and depth to match her beauty.

Murphy is disarming as the suave kidnapper Jackson Rippner, whose name is a deliberately twisted spin on a certain serial killer, notorious for his gruesome dismemberment of prostitutes. Lisa Reisart (McAdams) is the antithesis of a woman of ill repute. She is a paragon of courtesy and kindness, assets that serve her well in her job as a desk clerk at an upscale hotel. Little does Lisa know that the encounter she has with the charming Jackson at the airport check-in as both prepare to board a flight to Miami, has nothing to do with chance, even when she finds herself seated next to him.

Once airborne though, Jackson's suave veneer immediately disappears as his real purpose becomes known. Involved in a complex plot to assassinate a high profile guest of Lisa's hotel, Jackson requires her assistance and threatens to have her father (Brian Cox) killed unless he gets it.

Set in the restrictive confines of a plane, Red Eye utilizes the feeling of claustrophobia to good effect as Lisa endeavors to alert other passengers to her plight. The dynamic between the two is a palpable contrast of fear and sexual tension, one heightened by the chemistry of McAdams and Murphy who are able to convey more in a look than is ever revealed in the script.