Wow, I can’t believe I forgot to write this review up! It’s been one of those crazy-busy weeks. In any case. On Monday, Raf and I went to the AVCO Theater to catch the Dreamworks press screening of Wes Craven’s latest, Red-Eye. The straightfoward premise is this: Lisa (Rachel McAdams) works for a hotel in Miami, and is taking the red-eye flight back from Dallas. While in line for her delayed flight, she meets (and starts flirting with) Jackson (Cillian Murphy). After a drink at the hotel bar, they part ways, only to discover minutes later that they are sitting together. Turns out that it wasn’t fate though – Jackson needs her to do something for him, or else her father will be killed. I’m not going to reveal more than that, because I actually dug this film, and it’s worth watching it unfold.
What makes Red-Eye so interesting is that for a good portion of it, they’re on the airplane. You can’t run and you can’t hide. So it adds to the psychological pressure (and certainly the clausterphobia) of being in such a confined space. Once the plane gets on the ground, it becomes a tense chase film, with plenty of cat-and-mouse moments. One thing I like about Wes Craven is his ability to establish settings, so you’re never “confused” with the geography and where everyone is.
Adding to the tension is Marco Beltrami’s score, which is a taught contemporary score that gets under your skin and makes you clench your fist with tension. There is no score album planned (oh well), but I am sure that the film will do quite well – and it might spur a score release in the future. For now, though, if you want a nice tense thriller that has no slashers or gore, then Red-Eye is the one to check out.