Review: Red Eye (2005)

Director Wes Craven earned a writing and psychology degree upon finishing his college education, and while his skill as a wordsmith is more useful to a filmmaking career, it’s important not to understate the psychological themes underscoring his films. From the haunting dreams-into-reality of A Nightmare on Elm Street to Sidney’s emotional turmoil stemming from her mother’s death in Scream, Craven infuses his characters with psychological baggage that parallels character action (or inaction) to the overall theme, and is more than a writer’s trick superficially used to flesh out fictitious characters. These psychological underpinnings are none more relevant to the logic of the film than in his latest, Red Eye. This is not to pretend that this is some kind of serious psychological meditation with Oscar potential, nor is it meant to be. Instead, it’s a strong and entertaining genre film.

The design of Red Eye’s trailer marketed the film as a whimsical romantic comedy that suddenly shifts gears into a thriller, and for the most part, it follows this mould (although, a careful viewer will instantly recognize something sinister emerging by paying attention to the opening credits). Rachel McAdams plays Lisa, a hotel manager waiting at the airport for a flight out to Miami, who becomes smitten by the likable and smooth talking Jackson (Cilian Murphy) who it just so happens is not only catching the same flight but has the seat next to Lisa. Craven devilishly lets us get comfortable with the setup knowing how familiar it is to an audience brought up on romantic comedies utilizing a “meet-cute” approach as a means of character introduction. Both Lisa and Jackson make charming and intelligent characters which helps jar us when the realization that Jackson is not who he says he is.

It is during the middle half that the film ramps up. Craven’s camera heightens the suspense by not succumbing to the standard practice of cheapening the drama with stylized camera moves and rapid-eye editing. In a key sequence in the airplane bathroom with Jackson and Lisa, the confined quarters allow Jackson to further intimidate Lisa physically and emotionally, violating her space in the same way Craven heightens the audiences’ claustrophobia by restricting camera setups to close-ups and extreme close-ups. This all leads to an exciting (if somewhat conventional) climax which is more reminiscent of the horror genre Craven is famous for. However, my only gripe is why the film stopped short of total female empowerment at the very end? Is Wes Craven making a larger statement on the futility of a female going alone, without a strong male guard?

Besides the murky thematic conclusion, Craven has devised an efficient thriller that delivers genuine suspense, a strong female character, and a highly entertaining pay-off.

Richard Saad
© Cinephile Magazine, 2006