Red Eye

It’s not far from a fourth star. The first hour Craven carries it off with absolute clarity. The whole action on the plane, supported by the claustrophobic atmosphere and the seemingly hopeless situation of the main character (a very charming McAdams) is impressive and suspenseful, but unfortunately once the action moves to Lisa's house for the last 10 minutes or so, the tension is lost, with predictability and a bit of that genre cliché coming in. Another shame is the short runtime (73 minutes without credits). But beware, when God was handing out villainous charisma to future actors, Cillian Murphy went for five, he's the main reason this thriller is worth watching. I've been more and more interested in this guy since Batman Begins. (23/03/2006)

It's a pity, as the potential of this film was much, much greater than the bland result. It was missing only a little to become an imaginative A-list intimate thriller that, while not fully matching, could certainly come close to the quality of Phone Booth. The original idea and quality cast are commendable. Rachel McAdams, and especially Cillian Murphy, raise the film's level by 20%. Up until Lisa's escape from the plane, the film's atmosphere is excellent, and the tension is palpable. However, after that, the screenwriter and director run out of ideas, and the quality plummets like a parachutist without a parachute. The characters' actions lose all logic and credibility. The final showdown in the father's house is just a collection of the most worn-out genre clichés. In Scream, Wes Craven had a lot of fun with them, but here he succumbed to them. I'm sure that parodying the ending was not his intention this time. Overall rating: 60%. (11/07/2006)

Although the direction is flawless, there are issues in the script, which in the end didn't avoid unsuccessful variations on classic genre clichés. Still, the director literally chips the tension out of more or less every shot and the work with the limited space of two seats on the plane is masterful and even the universally condemned ending doesn't lack proper gradation. Rachel McAdams sets herself up for a promising career as a pretty face with very developed acting potential, and Cillian Murphy already proved in Batman Begins that behind the face of an innocent-looking nice guy resides a villain of the heaviest caliber. It’s an absolutely minimized thriller from Phone Booth onwards, which would be perfect if it benefited from its originality throughout the entire runtime. Still, as it is, it’s a very above-average spectacle and many of its issues can be forgiven. (14/04/2006)

Craven’s best film; atmospheric, sophisticatedly written and, despite the minimal plot space, endlessly creative and entertaining in its direct psychological pressure and clever subplots. The sympathy for the protagonist, especially crucial in the final B-movie-oriented showdown, works great thanks to an excellent emotional performance by Rachel McAdams, while Cillian Murphy is terrifyingly convincing (or is it convincingly terrifying? ), and I really liked the clever manoeuvring of the moral dilemma of "not risking my father's life and being complicit in an assassination, or taking a risk and try to save everyone", even though the developments "on paper" are obvious from the start and essentially unsurprising. But as I said, the development "on camera" is amazingly attractive this time, the fifth star was not far away... (12/12/2015)

A solid thriller which, thanks to being so short, manages to maintain a decent pace throughout. The actors handle their one-dimensional characters excellently and even manage to give them something extra, which applies primarily to Cillian Murphy. As long as the movie stays on board the plane, this is an excellent, suspenseful thriller with clearly dealt cards in a restricted space. But once the plane lands, the whole movie goes down the drain and turns into a festival of genre clichés and logical fallacies, which is a shame, because they wreck the otherwise solid positive. (07/11/2005)