Eye in the Sky 2015

     Colonel Katherine Powell is a military officer based in the UK and working at a base in Sussex.  She has command of a top-secret drone operation and she has been following a group of terrorists for years.  She discovers several Al-Shabaab militants are planning a suicide bombing.  She has have surveillance follow them to their safe house in Nairobi, Kenya.  Kenya is politically considered a non-hostel country.  Originally, the mission was to capture the targets but now it has been switched a kill situation because of the suicide vests.  At a base in Las Vegas, pilot Steve Watts and his assistant will be in charge of preparing and shooting from a drone with two Hellfire missiles.  An international discussion between begins politicians at Whitehall in London and the U.S. Secretary of State now on a visit to China.  A percentage value must be determined for collateral damage outside of the strike zone.  Time is of the essence since the targets will stay in position for a limited time frame.

     This is a taunt film with a lot of tension.  The targets are very dangerous and could cause a high number of deaths in a suicide mission.  What about the value of innocent people within the kill or injure percentage zone?  I wonder how much back and forth really happens when contemplating a drone strike?  How much of this film is true and how much is drama?  4* (I really liked this movie)

102 min, Drama directed by Guy Hibbert with Helen Mirren, Aaron Paul, Alan Rickman, Carl Beukes, Babou Ceesay, Barkhad Abdi, Jeremy Northam, Iain Glen.

Note:  Imdb 7.8 out of 10, 92% critic 88% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 3*.

Special Note:  Filmed in South Africa.  There are two small drones in this film, one the size of a bird and another much smaller like a large insect.  Currently, these drones are in development but may not be in use yet because of battery life.  There is a note in the credits:  “Produced with the assistance of the Department of Trade and Industry in South Africa.”  Barkhad Abdi was the lead Somali pirate in the film Captain Phillips of 2013.