''Red Eye'' is a 2005 American
psychological thriller film
Psychological thriller is a genre combining the thriller and psychological fiction genres. It is commonly used to describe literature or films that deal with psychological narratives in a thriller or thrilling setting.
In terms of context and ...
directed by
Wes Craven
Wesley Earl Craven (August 2, 1939 – August 30, 2015) was an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and editor. Craven has commonly been recognized as one of the greatest masters of the horror genre due to the cultural imp ...
and written by
Carl Ellsworth
Carl Ellsworth is an American screenwriter, best known for writing '' Red Eye'', '' Disturbia'' and ''The Last House on the Left''.
Filmography Television
*''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' (1997)
*'' Mowgli: The New Adventures of the Jungle Book'' ...
based on a story by Ellsworth and Dan Foos. The film follows a hotel manager ensnared in an
assassination
Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have ...
plot by a
terrorist
Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...
while aboard a
red-eye flight
In commercial aviation, a red-eye flight is a flight scheduled to depart at night and arrive the next morning. Another definition of a red-eye flight is one that takes place overnight but does not provide enough time for passengers to get a full n ...
to
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
. The
film score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to ...
was composed and conducted by
Marco Beltrami. It was distributed by
DreamWorks Pictures
DreamWorks Pictures (also known as DreamWorks SKG and formerly DreamWorks Studios, commonly referred to as DreamWorks) is an American film company and distribution label of Amblin Partners. It was originally founded on October 12, 1994 as a li ...
and was released on August 19, 2005. The film received positive reviews from critics and fans of Craven's work and was a box office success. An extended version of the film, which added previously unused footage to increase the running time, was broadcast on the
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
network several times.
Plot
After attending her grandmother's funeral, hotel manager Lisa Reisert arrives at
Dallas Love Field
Dallas Love Field is a city-owned public airport northwest of downtown Dallas, Texas., effective April 10, 2008 It was Dallas' main airport until 1974 when Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) opened. Love Field covers an area of a ...
to take a
red-eye flight
In commercial aviation, a red-eye flight is a flight scheduled to depart at night and arrive the next morning. Another definition of a red-eye flight is one that takes place overnight but does not provide enough time for passengers to get a full n ...
back to
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
,
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
. She meets a handsome young man named Jackson Rippner, also traveling to Miami. While waiting to board, they share a drink at the airport bar and engage in small talk.
Lisa is surprised to find that Jackson is seated beside her. After takeoff, his charming demeanor quickly turns sinister as he informs her that he works for a
domestic terrorist
Domestic terrorism or homegrown terrorism is a form of terrorism in which victims "within a country are targeted by a perpetrator with the same citizenship" as the victims.Gary M. Jackson, ''Predicting Malicious Behavior: Tools and Techniques ...
organization planning to assassinate Charles Keefe, the current
United States Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security
The deputy secretary of homeland security is the chief operating officer of the United States Department of Homeland Security, with responsibility for managing day-to-day operations. The department has over 208,000 employees and an annual budge ...
. Lisa's managerial position at the Lux Atlantic Hotel in Miami, where Keefe and his family are staying, is crucial to their plot.
As Acting Manager, Lisa must make a call from the
in-flight phone
Air-ground radiotelephone service is a system which allows voice calls and other communication services to be made from an aircraft to either a satellite or land based network. The service operates via a transceiver mounted in the aircraft on des ...
to order the Keefe family be moved to a targeted room where a missile launched from a boat in the harbor will strike. Her non-compliance will result in Jackson's
hitman
Contract killing is a form of murder or assassination in which one party hires another party to kill a targeted person or persons. It involves an illegal agreement which includes some form of payment, monetary or otherwise. Either party may be ...
accomplice killing Lisa's father, Joe.
While Jackson is distracted, Lisa writes a warning inside the self-help book she had previously given away to a friendly fellow-passenger. He head-butts her unconscious and retrieves the book before the woman reads the message. Lisa awakens half an hour later and is forced to make the call to the hotel.
When a storm disrupts the sky phone service mid-conversation with her co-worker, Cynthia, Lisa pretends to be ordering the room change until Jackson catches on. She then persuades him to let her use the restroom while the phone service is still disrupted. Lisa writes a fake bomb threat in soap on the mirror; Jackson, checking on her, sees it and angrily wipes it off. A young girl waiting outside becomes suspicious, telling the flight attendant that Jackson is inside with Lisa, but it is dismissed as a sexual escapade.
When the sky phones are operational again, Lisa calls Cynthia and has her move the Keefe family to the targeted suite. She then pleads with Jackson to call off the accomplice waiting outside Joe's house, but he refuses until the assassination is confirmed.
As the plane lands at
Miami International Airport
Miami International Airport , also known as MIA and historically as Wilcox Field, is the primary airport serving the greater Miami metropolitan area with over 1,000 daily flights to 167 domestic and international destinations, including most co ...
, Lisa reveals that she got the scar Jackson noticed on her chest during a violent rape at knife point two years earlier, and that she swore after the assault that something like that would never happen again. She then stabs Jackson in the throat with a
ballpoint pen
A ballpoint pen, also known as a biro (British English), ball pen (Hong Kong, Indian and Philippine English), or dot pen ( Nepali) is a pen that dispenses ink (usually in paste form) over a metal ball at its point, i.e. over a "ball point". ...
, grabs his phone, and flees the plane.
To further slow Jackson down, the young girl who had previously observed him and Lisa trips him, making it look like an accident. Lisa makes her way to the airport exit while evading both Jackson and security personnel; once outside, she steals an unattended SUV. She calls Cynthia, telling her to evacuate the hotel and warn all of the Keefes. Cynthia, the Keefes, and
U.S. Secret Service
The United States Secret Service (USSS or Secret Service) is a federal law enforcement agency under the Department of Homeland Security charged with conducting criminal investigations and protecting U.S. political leaders, their families, and ...
agents escape seconds before a
Javelin missile hits the room.
The cell phone's battery dies as Lisa is calling her dad. Arriving at his house and seeing the hitman at the front door, she hits and kills him with the car when he shoots at her with a
suppressed pistol
A pistol is a handgun, more specifically one with the chamber integral to its gun barrel, though in common usage the two terms are often used interchangeably. The English word was introduced in , when early handguns were produced in Europe, an ...
. Lisa's dad is unharmed and has called 9-1-1.
Lisa calls Cynthia, unaware Jackson arrived and incapacitated her dad. He pursues her throughout the house. As they struggle, he throws her down the staircase. Lisa, stunned, retrieves the dead hitman's gun and shoots Jackson. Wounded, he disarms her and is about to kill her when a revived Joe shoots Jackson with the gun. Lisa returns to the hotel to provide assistance where Keefe praises both women for their actions.
Cast
*
Rachel McAdams
Rachel Anne McAdams (born November 17, 1978) is a Canadian actress. After graduating from a theatre degree program at York University in 2001, she worked in Canadian television and film productions, such as the drama film ''Perfect Pie'' (200 ...
as Lisa Reisert
*
Cillian Murphy
Cillian Murphy (; born 25 May 1976) is an Irish actor. Originally the lead singer, guitarist, and lyricist of the rock band The Sons of Mr. Green Genes, he turned down a record deal in the late 1990s and began acting on stage and in short and ...
as Jackson Rippner
*
Brian Cox as Joe Reisert
*
Jayma Mays
Jamia Suzette "Jayma" Mays is an American actress. She is known for playing Emma Pillsbury in the Fox musical series '' Glee'' (2009–2015) and for her starring roles in the films ''Red Eye'' (2005), '' Paul Blart: Mall Cop'' (2009) and ''Th ...
as Cynthia
*
Jack Scalia
Jack Scalia (born November 10, 1950) is an American actor. He has had many roles in television series (both as a regular and as a guest-star), television movies, and feature films. He is perhaps best known for his role as Chris Stamp on ''All My ...
as Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Charles Keefe
*
Robert Pine
Robert Pine (born Granville Whitelaw Pine, July 10, 1941) is an American actor who is best known as Sgt. Joseph Getraer on the television series ''CHiPs'' (1977–1983). Including ''CHiPs'', Pine has appeared in over 400 episodes of television. ...
as Bob Taylor
* Teresa Press-Marx as Marianne Taylor
*
Angela Paton
Angela Paton (January 11, 1930 – May 26, 2016)[Suzie Plakson
Suzie Plakson is an American actress.
Early life and education
Born Susan Plaksin in Buffalo, New York, she was raised in Kingston, Pennsylvania and attended Northwestern University.
Career
Plakson began her career on the stage, and playe ...](_blank)
as Senior flight attendant
* Monica McSwain as Junior flight attendant
* Dane Farwell as Hitman at dad's house
*
Laura Johnson
Laura Johnson is an American actress. She is best known for playing Terry Hartford in the CBS primetime soap opera ''Falcon Crest'' from 1983 to 1986.
Career
Johnson made her film debut in the 1977 drama film ''Opening Night'' directed by John ...
as Blonde Woman
*
Loren Lester
Loren Lester (born October 4, 1960) is an American screen, stage and voice actor best known as the voice of DC Comics superheroes Nightwing and Robin in various media, starting with the DC Animated Universe. He is also a graduate of the Occidental ...
as Doctor
*
Max Kasch
Joseph Maxwell Kasch (born December 6, 1985) is an American actor and musician. He played "Zig-Zag" in ''Holes'' (2003), T-Dog in '' Waiting...'' (2005), and Troy in '' Shrooms'' (2007).
Early life
Kasch was born in Santa Monica, California, t ...
as Headphone kid
*
Kyle Gallner
Kyle Steven Gallner (born October 22, 1986) is an American actor. He is known for his portrayal of Cassidy "Beaver" Casablancas in the television series ''Veronica Mars'', superhero Bart Allen in the drama series ''Smallville'' and Reed Garrett ...
as Headphone kid's Brother
* Brittany Oaks as Rebecca
*
Beth Toussaint as Lydia Keefe
*
Colby Donaldson
Colby Donaldson (born April 1, 1974) is an American television personality. He became the runner-up of '' Survivor: The Australian Outback'' (2001). He then competed on two more ''Survivor'' seasons, '' Survivor: All-Stars'' (2004) and '' Survi ...
as Keefe's head bodyguard
*
Marc Macaulay
Marc Macaulay (born October 13, 1957) is an American actor.
Early life and career
He was born and raised in Millinocket, Maine. He graduated with a BFA in theater. He appeared in the USA Network Series '' Burn Notice'' for five episodes as Age ...
as Coast Guard officer
*
Jenny Wade as Coffee shop girl
Reception
Box office
''Red Eye'' opened theatrically on August 19, 2005, in 3,079 venues, earning $16,167,662 in its opening weekend, ranking second in the domestic box office behind ''
The 40-Year-Old Virgin
''The 40-Year-Old Virgin'' is a 2005 American romantic comedy film directed by Judd Apatow, who produced the film with Clayton Townsend and Shauna Robertson. It features Steve Carell as the titular 40-year-old virgin Andy, an employee at an el ...
'' ($21,422,815). At the end of its run, eight weeks later (on October 13), the film grossed $57,891,803 in the United States and Canada, and $37,685,971 overseas for a worldwide total of $95,577,774. Based on a $26 million budget, the film was a box office success.
Critical response
On
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
the film holds an approval rating of 79% based on 193 critics, with an average rating of 6.68/10. The site's consensus states: "With solid performances and tight direction from Wes Craven, ''Red Eye'' is a brisk, economic thriller." On
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
, the film received a weighted score of 71 out of 100, based on 36 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by
CinemaScore
CinemaScore is a market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts based on the data.
Background
Ed Mintz founded Ci ...
gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.
Peter Travers
Peter Joseph Travers (born ) is an American film critic, journalist, and television presenter. He reviews films for ABC News and previously served as a movie critic for ''People'' and ''Rolling Stone''. Travers also hosts the film interview prog ...
of ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' gave the film a 3.5/4 stars calling it the "best thriller of summer 2005" and a "gripping suspense
hat
A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...
will pin you to your seat".
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...
commended the film, calling it a "good thriller" that moves "competently
ndrelentlessly". He praised Craven for making the film "function so smoothly" and "doing exactly what it was intended to do". Ebert also expressed admiration for the performances of McAdams and Murphy, stating that they are "very effective together". He said that McAdams is "so convincing because she keeps
er performanceat ground level" and "she remains plausible even when the action ratchets up around her". He also complimented Murphy for his "ability to modulate his character instead of gnashing the scenery". He gave the film 3/4 stars.
Manohla Dargis
Manohla June Dargis () is an American film critic. She is one of the chief film critics for ''The New York Times''. She is a five-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.
Career
Before being a film critic for ''The New York Times'', ...
of ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' called the film a "nifty, tense thriller" and said that the casting of the two leads is "a nice surprise". She said that Murphy is "a picture-perfect villain" and McAdams has a "depth of intensity" that is uncommon.
''
USA Today
''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...
'' film critic Claudia Puig said the film is "fun to watch because of the strong performances". She praised McAdams for blending "vulnerability and courage" to her performance and called Murphy "menacing". While she mentioned that the film is "tense, smart, and nerve-wracking" and "entertaining and scary" on the first hour, she criticizes the film for going "downhill" and becoming a "by-the-book action flick".
''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
s Robert Koehler stated that "''Red Eye'' relies on hoodwinking an audience with its tension, so that the sheer illogic of the conspiracy plot can slip by without detection" but complimented McAdams for finding "new and interesting ways of silently projecting fear".
Wesley Morris
Wesley Morris (born 1975) is an American film critic and podcast host. He is currently critic-at-large for ''The New York Times'', as well as co-host, with Jenna Wortham, of the ''New York Times'' podcast '' Still Processing.'' Previously, Mor ...
of ''
The Boston Globe
''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...
'' felt the film was like a "poor cousin of an episode of ''
24''. Call it 12."
In October 2006, the film ranked 25th in the ''30 Even Scarier Movie Moments'', a follow up to
Bravo
Bravo(s) or The Bravo(s) may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Music Groups and labels
*Bravo (band), a Russian rock band
* Bravo (Spanish group), represented Spain at Eurovision 1984
*Bravo Music, an American concert band music publishing company ...
's ''
The 100 Scariest Movie Moments
''The 100 Scariest Movie Moments'' is an American television documentary miniseries that aired in late October 2004 on Bravo.(November 2004)Liner Notes ''Starlog'', p. 20 Aired in five 60-minute segments, the miniseries counts down what producer ...
'' which was aired in October 2004.
Awards and nominations
See also
* ''
Flightplan
''Flightplan'' is a 2005 mystery psychological thriller film directed by Robert Schwentke from a screenplay written by Peter A. Dowling and Billy Ray. It stars Jodie Foster as Kyle Pratt, a recently-widowed American aircraft engineer living ...
'', another 2005 psychological thriller taking place during a flight
References
External links
*
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Red Eye (Film)
2000s mystery thriller films
2005 films
2005 action thriller films
2005 psychological thriller films
American aviation films
American action thriller films
American mystery thriller films
American psychological thriller films
DreamWorks Pictures films
2000s English-language films
Films about stalking
Films about terrorism
Films directed by Wes Craven
Films scored by Marco Beltrami
Films set in Miami
Films set on airplanes
Films shot in Los Angeles
Films shot in Miami
Films set in Fort Worth, Texas
2000s Russian-language films
2000s American films