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Eagle Eye

3/10

Stars: Shia LaBeouf, Michelle Monaghan, Billy Bob Thornton, Rosario Dawson, Michael Chiklis, William Sadler, Anthony Mackie, Ethan Embry, Bill Smitrovich, Eric Christian Olsen

Director: D J Caruso

Non-stop pounding action is the only plus factor in this ridiculous, nonsensical, maniacally-edited thriller about a Middle Eastern plot to assassinate the US president, in revenge for an attack on alleged terrorists that annihilated a harmless funeral party. No change there then.

Innocent citizens LaBeouf and Monaghan are the pawns caught up in the helter-skelter scheme after they are told on their mobile phones that they have been 'activated' - 'Your compliance is essential' - and receive a series of instructions which they're forced to follow.

Thornton and Dawson are the government agents trying to make sense of it all. They had my sympathy.

LaBeouf and Monaghan run and run, but there's little chemistry between them to help engage our sympathy, and they can neither escape the disembodied female voice that tells them what to do and where to go, nor the sheer preposterousness of it all. Whatever happened to the calculated building of suspense? It's trodden under foot early on here by the great god Action.

David Quinlan

USA 2008. UK Distributor: Paramount. Colour by deluxe.
117 minutes. Widescreen. UK certificate: 12A.

Guidance ratings (out of 3): Sex/nudity 0, Violence/Horror 0, Drugs 0, Swearing 1.

Review date: 11 Oct 2008