Red Eye
2005
***½
Director: Wes Craven
Cast: Rachel McAdams, Cillian Murphy, Brian Cox, Jayma Mays, Jack Scalia, Robert Pine, Laura Johnson, Max Kasch, Teresa Press-Marx, Angela Paton
This snappy, no-nonsense thriller doesn't beat around the bush. We're introduced to a hotel manager who is always on top of things. On a red-eye flight to Miami, she is seated next to a seemingly charming young man, whose fiendish blackmail scheme suddenly turns her into a helpless victim. The story is fresh and gripping, McAdams and Murphy give solid performances, and Wes Craven keeps things moving at a relentless pace. Then the film hits the usual stumbling block: the ending, which feels clichéd and contrived.
