The film opens in a military control room with the Secretary of Defense (Michael Chiklis) interpreting data from a supercomputer and determining whether to remotely attack a group of Middle Easterners who may or may not be terrorists. He agrees with the computer that not enough information warrants the strike, but is ordered to do so anyway by the president. This intense opener almost immediately switches gears to Jerry Shaw(played by Shia LeBouf), employee of Copy Cabana, who has returned home to his twin brother Ethan’s funeral. Ethan, a highly successful engineer and an Air Force officer, has died in the line of duty, but no one says how. Jerry, on the other hand, has been unsuccessful in most things, dropped out of Stanford University, and has essentially stood in his brother’s shadow since birth. Enter Rachel (played by Michelle Monaghan)—a young divorcee who is sending her son, Samuel, to Washington D.C. in order to play in his elementary school band for the President of the United States. How do these seemingly unrelated individuals—Jerry, Rachel, and the Secretary of Defense—come together? “Activation” by the supercomputer ARIA, and that’s where the ordeal begins. ARIA, or the Autonomous Recognizance Intelligence Integration Analyst, crunches all of the military’s raw intel, irons patterns, and helps predict the movement of possible suspects. And she’s watching.
Jerry ventures to the bank after receiving a check for $1000 from his father, but finds his balance is hundreds of thousands of dollars higher than expected. He returns quickly to his apartment, which is has been filled with massive amounts of weaponry and explosives; as he attempts to process this, he receives a call from a very GPS-sounding female voice who informs him that the FBI will capture him in 30 seconds. Turns out she’s right—enter Billy Bob Thornton as the agent in charge of the case, and Rosario Dawson as the Air Force officer piecing together the link between the twin brothers. Meanwhile, Rachel is out with girlfriends and receives a call from the same techno-bitch who has called Jerry; the voice directs her to a McDonald’s, where scenes of Rachel’s son are visible on the large screen. She’s directed to jump in a Porsche SUV and drive, or her son’s train will be derailed. What’s going on, you ask? Who cares? It’s a car chase! Rachel picks up Jerry, who’s been sprung from FBI headquarters shortly after a phone call from the mysterious source, and they escape together. It’s not until the two arrive in an Indianapolis mall’s Circuit City that the nefarious scheme is revealed: ARIA is displeased with the decision-making skills of the president in shooting down the Middle Easterners in the opening sequence, and has recruited these civilians to serve in the national defense. In ARIA’s analysis, defending the Constitution requires the removal of the current President of the United States from power and replacing him with a man she deems more worthy of the role. Will they put together the plot in time, and if so, will they obey?
While the plot is familiar and Aderall-addled, this cast definitely believes in their project. Billy Bob Thornton and Rosario Dawson roll through the chaotic sequence of events just as we would hope our intelligence agents are capable of doing—in fact, Dawson looks like she’d fall right into line at the Pentagon. Shia LeBouf and Michelle Monaghan are believable, albeit slightly wooden. Still, this isn’t a plot that relies on emotionality, so their slight detachment isn’t terribly noticeable. While the film itself isn’t amongst the most remarkable of 2008, the commentary IS, in fact, a bolt of lightning that awakens the audience to the grip our technology has on every facet of our existence. Michael Zimmer, professor of Information Studies at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, discusses in the commentary, “It’s increasingly becoming more and more difficult to participate in our society without making yourself available to this kind of surveillance…there’s no longer alternatives that you can take in order to protect your privacy.” They question in the feature whether neighborhoods with cameras are actually safer than those without–does perpetual surveillance really reduce the crime rate? How does this impinge on your personal freedom? What can you do about it? Is technology taking over?
Lesson: go buy this with cash and at the register, don’t offer your phone number for free coupons. They’re watching you…
Extra Features, Disc 2:
Alternate Ending
Asymmetrical Warfare: The Making of Eagle Eye
Eagle Eye on Location: Washington, D.C.
Is My Cell Phone Spying On Me? (A MUST SEE!)
Shall We Play a Game?
Gag Reel
Photo Gallery
Theatrical Trailer