One of the biggest debates across the world today comes with the argument surrounding that of drone strikes and their legal and moral fabric. The massive change in how warfare comes to change the lives of both sides involved is such an unexpected twist to our society that the world doesn’t know how to respond to it, even though they still occur every day. “Eye in the Sky” doesn’t care to try to take sides in the matter, but rather placing us right in the midst of a huge moral debate over the usage of a deadly strike. Does one eliminate the threat about to make an immediate effect? Or does one take the strike and eliminate innocent children in the crossfire?

These are just two of the many questions raised in “Eye in the Sky,” to which the film doesn’t always have answers for, as the world does not know these answers. As Col. Katherine Powell (Mirren), a Royal Air Force commander tasked with taking out a possible terrorism syndicate in Kenya with an English expat inside. Supervising the mission is Lt. Gen. Frank Benson (Rickman), with the support of the British Cabinet. Across the Atlantic Ocean, U.S. Air Force soldiers 2nd Lt. Steve Watts (Aaron Paul) and Carrie Gershon (Phoebe Fox) await orders to complete the mission via drone. All of this comes crashing down when a moral dilemma occurs when it’s seen that a small child is selling bread outside of the terrorist compound, with an almost certain death if the attack is carried out. This prompts a frenetic search to weigh the cost of one girl’s life against the lives of possibly 80 people yet to be killed in a terrorist attack.

Much of the surprise of “Eye in the Sky” comes from its performances, as they’re not quite what you would expect them to be. One wouldn’t think of Helen Mirren and the late Alan Rickman for commanding roles in a military thriller, but you would be surprised how jarringly effective they are in the roles. Mirren has a certain power about her that while we’ve always known that she’s possessed from other strong roles such as “The Queen” and “Trumbo,” it’s incredible to see it put to such good use in Guy Hibbert’s screenplay. Rickman is also fantastic, keeping himself open for a posthumous Oscar in his performance, though a bit of a long shot, it would be an amazing end to an amazing career.

Other great performances come from Paul, Fox (who I said had better things coming for her over a year ago and I was right), Iain Glen, newcomer Aisha Takow and Barkhad Abdi, in his first role following his Oscar-nominated performance in “Captain Phillips.” My biggest fear going into this was that Abdi was going to be wasted, but fortunately I got quite the contrary with a strong, smart and important character that does quite a bit to advance the story in a thrilling way.

While also acting in the film, Gavin Hood’s direction on the film keeps the audience on the edge of their seats, which I typically find as a cliché statement in reviews, but I found myself mid-way through the film literally sitting at the edge of my chair wondering how the story was going to progress, wanting to know more. The film, especially in its final act, is tense as hell with some of the best dialogue between characters in a movie in recent memory. Tack on an incredibly effective score and some beautiful minimalistic cinematography and you have a wonderful filmgoing experience.

Unlike many war films, “Eye in the Sky” takes a very unbiased look at the horrors of war from both sides and the unfortunate reality that has to come from it a lot of the time. The film takes no solace in the deaths of others, including enemies, but rather looks at the weight of collateral damage vs. letting a terrorist attack occur. “Eye in the Sky” is a much more cerebral war film than other films like “American Sniper,” concerned only with killing as many Middle Eastern people as possible. This humanist approach to war makes “Eye in the Sky” special among other war films, as it really does try to work in as many sides as possible into the argument over the reality of war.

If anything, “Eye in the Sky” does its job exceedingly well in really portraying the horrors of war on screen, but unlike many other films that do this, “Eye in the Sky” works primarily with the moral horrors of war, as the film is almost completely unconcerned with showcasing violence on the main stage here, as the world of warfare has changed so drastically in the past few years, it seems that the horrors of war are much more hands-off now than they have ever been. But “Eye in the Sky” leaves us with one realization upon its ending, that just because war has become more hands-off, that doesn’t mean that it isn’t as morally and psychologically damaging. Not in the slightest.

4.5/5

Photo courtesy of Bleecker Street

Directed by: Gavin Hood
Starring: Helen Mirren, Aaron Paul, Alan Rickman, Barkhad Abdi, Jeremy Northam, Phoebe Fox, introducing Aisha Takow, and Iain Glen.
Runtime: 102 minutes
Rating: R for some violent images and language.
Now playing exclusively at AMC Concord Mills and Regal Park Terrace & Ballantyne.

Bleecker Street and Entertainment One Features present, a Raindog Films/Entertainment One Features production, a Gavin Hood film, “Eye in the Sky”