Eye in the Sky 2015

     Colonel Katherine Powell is a UK based military officer commanding a top-secret drone operation.  Remote surveillance and on the ground information has determined that several people on the most wanted list will be together at a house in Kenya.  They later learn that suicide vests will be photographed with the people who will wear them.  Originally, the mission was to capture the wanted people but the explosives change this directive.  There is a lot of back-and-forth between the people at Powell’s location, the diplomats in the UK and out of the country plus the American drone pilot in Nevada.  There will be more collateral damage from the strike because of the added vest explosives.  A nine-year old girl is in the possible impact zone of the strike.  Everything possible is done to get her to a safer location.

     There is a LOT of tension in this film and this is the second time I’ve seen this.  I saw it in the theater when it was released.  A second watching didn’t seem to reduce the tension even though I knew all the details and the outcome.  4* (I really liked this movie)

102 min, Drama directed by Gavin Hood with Helen Mirren, Aaron Paul, Alan Rickman, Jeremy Northam, Iain Glen, Barkhad Abdi.

Note:  Imdb 7.3 out of 10, 95% critic 83% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 3*, Metacritic 73 out of 100 with 38 critics 6.9 out of 10 with 121 reviews.

Special Note:  Filmed in South Africa.  Barkhad Abdi was also in Captain Phillips with Tom Hanks about Somali pirates capturing a ship.  This film is dedicated to Alan Rickman, he passed away 1/14/16 and the release date for Eye in the Sky was 4/1/16.  US drone strikes reportedly killed 150 people in Somalia the week this film opened?  I find it interesting that the name of the weapon on the drone is the Hellfire?