Eye in the Sky

When you try to tell the plot of Eye in the Sky, it seems rather sparse. It's a movie about a counter-terror mission involving drones and centers around the decision to strike or not when a little girl enters the area to sell bread. But it isn't really about moving the plot forward; it's about the ethical dilemmas faced by military personnel and politicians in the war on terror.

The movie starts with everyone showing up for a somewhat routine mission. The British are leading a counter-terror mission in Nairobi, with Kenyan special ops working on the ground and a team of American drone pilots assigned to provide air support. The drone pilots are assured that they are there to observe only. All is going according to plan until the terrorists move into a Somali slum run by Al-Shabaab. The Kenyan military doesn't dare follow because they are afraid of the huge civilian casualties such an attack would cause. This means that the drone will have to take out the terrorists with a Hellfire missile. The urgency is intensified when it is discovered that the terrorists are inside the house donning suicide vests. However, a small girl is sitting next to the house selling bread and will almost certainly be killed by a strike. The remainder of the movie is spent by soldiers and politicians attempting to weigh the potential harm of a suicide bombing against the certain harm of an innocent child. It is also complicated by the fact that Kenya is a friendly nation to Britain and is not a conflict zone (although because they are working with the Kenyans, they have permission to be there; the movie neatly sidesteps the sovereignty question in drone strikes to focus on the question of civilian loss of life). 

In the end, Eye in the Sky doesn't present any moral or ethical solution. Instead, it spends the entire movie putting the arguments for both sides very strongly and letting the viewer decide which solution is right, if there is indeed a right solution. It takes great pains to show that either decision has grave consequences, both on the people directly affected and those back home making the decisions. One of the things I love about this movie is it shows that commanders and drone pilots are impacted by these events, even though they are safe at home. At the beginning, I thought the movie was setting up a contrast beside those at home and those on the front lines doing the "real" work. It kept switching back and forth between the Kenyan troops and intelligence agents and the Americans and Brits back home. The Kenyans were nervous and engaged in a life and death struggle while their counterparts are chatting about sports and walking in carrying Starbucks lattes. But by the end of the movie, you realize how much of a toll this type of warfare takes on those making the calls. As Alan Rickman's character says (in his flawless voice) when challenged with that very accusation, "never tell a soldier that he does not know the cost of war."

Rating: 4.5

It's such a thought-provoking movie that I already want to watch it again. And the actors are very good, especially Alan Rickman. As it is one of his last movies, the movie is dedicated in memoriam to him. If for no other reason, it's worth watching because of him.

Caveat Specatator

Rated R for language and violence. Honestly, the violence was not any different than any of the other war on terror photos we have grown accustomed to seeing on the news. There was some language, but barely enough to warrant the R rating. If it deserves an R, it's a pretty mild R.