FILM REVIEW: Eye in the Sky

The publicity for Eye in the Sky has largely, and inevitably, centred around Helen Mirren (pictured), who is ostensibly the star.

Hers may be the biggest name but in truth this is a multi-handed thriller about how life and death decisions can be made at arms’ length by a committee of characters, each balancing idealism with pragmatism in differing measures.

The Eye in the title is a military drone remotely operated by Aaron Paul’s Nevada-based pilot and initially spies on a jihadist cell based in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi.

It is expected to literally oversee the terrorists’ capture by special forces troops, as managed by Mirren’s British army officer Col Katherine Powell with guidance by a panel of political figures led by Alan Rickman’s sardonic general.

But when the Islamists’ actions take a more sinister turn, the need for more immediate action comes to the fore, especially when it becomes clear a little girl is selling bread outside the safe house compound.

Eye in the Sky shows how different army ranks and politicians on both sides of the Atlantic (as well as, in this case, Asia), as well as undercover agents on the ground in Africa, have roles to play in deciding when and if to strike.

Switching between on-the-ground scenes of the young bread-seller (Aisha Takow) going innocently about her business and the way forward being thrashed out by by Powell et all, this is a hugely suspenseful, edge-of-the-seat thriller where the drama comes not in action set pieces but in the protracted argument about the moral merits of the proposed strike and the value of one certain-to-be-lost life as weighed against dozens potentially saved.

Mirren, reprising the quiet authority most memorably seen during her Prime Suspect days, is effortlessly watchable, while Rickman - in his final appearance before his death last January -  is spot on as the experienced general.

Praise is also due to Aaron Paul as the drone pilot who forms the film’s moral centre in a performance of moving vulnerability.

Footage of an insect-sized mini-drone flying into and exploring the terrorists’ hiding place, meanwhile, is superbly realised.

It’s refreshing in an age where body counts in thrillers soar without a hint of the assailants harbouring any reservations that the loss of even one innocent life merits such examination.

By the time this truly modern war film reaches its conclusion, it’s clear there are no simple decisions when it comes to the fight against terrorism, and even from thousands of miles away, no one comes away without blood on their hands.

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