Red Eye

So you watch the trailer of this film, and think to yourself, not another Wes Craven horror movie. In fact, I didn’t even bother watching the trailer. Only reason I went for this one was because I was tagging along with my friend who wanted to watch it.

And what a surprise it was.

Rising young starlet Rachel McAdams plays an over-stressed hotel manager Lisa, who’s rushing to get back to work for the next day. She has to take the red eye flight (referring to past midnight flights where the passengers walk out of the plane with red eyes) which was delayed. Amongst miserable and impatient passengers, a charming man invites her for a drink, clearly attracted to her. She accepts it and…oh…the plot’s quite predictable. One look at Cillian Murphy and you know he’s up to something. That’s beside the point.

What made this such an enjoyable and entertaining film was the fact that the suspense was very well handled. There’s nothing new or original about it, the plotline is slightly contrived, but somehow the film manages to make us care about Lisa (or maybe that’s due to McAdams’ charismatic smile), as well as keep our attention on everything that is going on. There are no special effects, no cheap make up. Just classic suspense. You feel the desperation and regret with every decision Lisa is forced to make and you actually care for her as you cheer her on every move she makes to find an escape from her claustrophobic position. However, it doesn’t take itself too seriously, and the finale sequence, while not much of a heart-pounder, is actually quite fun and thrilling.

At a short 85 minutes running-time, the movie doesn’t waste time. It brings us right into the story, and once trouble for Lisa begins, it never lets up, all the way to the end. Guaranteed to provide an enjoyable evening.

Sebastian Ng