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'Eagle Eye'

DreamWorks SKG

1 hour, 58 minutes

It-Actor flavor of the moment Shia LaBeouf and director D.J. Caruso seem to have a thing for Hitchcock. Their last outing together was "Disturbia," the diverting but low-rent recreation of "Rear Window." That effort, though fairly tepid, was entertaining enough. This time around, however, the pair get it right with a rousing update of the ordinary-guy-extraordinary-circumstances motif that Hitch used to such great effect in classics like "North by Northwest" and "The Man Who Knew Too Much." This is not to suggest that "Eagle Eye" is, in any way, a classic, but it's fun and it keeps you guessing, and that's about all we hope for from a movie like this.

LaBeouf plays Jerry Shaw, an aimless slacker currently dividing his time between poker games with his buddies and manning the counter at Copy Cabana. He receives quite a shock one day when he learns that, not only has his brother been killed in a car wreck, but someone has deposited $750,000 in his bank account. Add to that the Terrorist 101 Kit that has been delivered to his apartment (guns, fertilizer, technical manuals), and Jerry is having, to say the least, a very strange day.

It's about that time that a strange woman calls his cell phone, telling him that the FBI are on their way. Suddenly Jerry is in the grips of a mysterious force that can monitor him constantly, controlling just about anything electronic, from cell phones to traffic lights to subway cars. With no explanation, the caller is inexorably leading our hero toward some mysterious climax, one step at a time, from evading the FBI in a high speed car chase to robbing an armored car.

Along for the ride is Rachel Holloman, a similarly innocent bystander whose Amtrak-bourne 10-year-old son is threatened with derailment unless she accompanies Jerry and fulfills her task. Hot on their heels are the G-men, so to speak. Zoe Perez of the Airforce (Rosario Dawson) and Tom Morgan of the FBI (Billy Bob Thornton) are going to get to the bottom of this, come hell or high water, but the mysterious voice on the phone will not be dissuaded. As the movie progresses you realize that things are even bigger than they look and if Jerry and Rachel can't get to the bottom of the mystery, the consequences could be catastrophic.

"Eagle Eye" is the perfect end-of-summer thriller -- dramatic enough to propel you into the serious season, but popcorny enough to fondly recall warmer days. It is sharply written, though not such that you can't guess the ultimate outcome, even if the particulars are somewhat surprising. The action is well-done, with gun play kept to a relative minimum, but with constant tension throughout. Michelle Monaghan does a fine job as the harried mom Rachel. The acting is good all the way around, though I have to say it's all pretty standard thriller fare -- lots of "I can't believe this is happening" looks and angrily determined "We've got to find out the truth!" statements.

The weakest spot is actually LaBeouf himself, though it's mostly his look. For this role, he looked about five years too young. Not a huge age difference, but enough to wonder that he was really old enough to be out on his own. The scraggly half-beard that he appears to have tried so hard to cultivate doesn't really help much.

Plot wise, the story clips along nicely, and I for one didn't see the surprise coming. Of course, there are major plot holes. I mean, if this mysterious phone person wanted Jerry's cooperation, why go to all the trouble of setting him up to look like a terrorist, only to sic the FBI on him? Why not just put a loved one in jeopardy as she did with Rachel? Of course, it's not as cool to do that, but it makes more sense. As well, some of the action sequences beg credulity, but as the movie doesn't take itself too seriously, I guess the audience doesn't have to either.

LaBeouf is making quite a name for himself lately, ironic considering how difficult his name is to pronounce. Le Boof? La Boe e uuf? Complicated moniker or not, it hasn't slowed him down. "Disturbia" was followed by the mega-hit "Transformers" followed by "Indiana Jones" followed by this, the number one movie in America. Next up is the "Transformers" sequel, "Revenge of the Fallen."

Oooooh. Sounds serious. But it's hard for me to take Shia seriously. Despite enjoying his films and performances in general, his personal life seems to be rapidly turning into a joke. Arrested at least twice, once for refusing to leave a Walgreens, of all things, this rising young star supposedly has aspirations toward a Tom Hanks-style career. "Eagle Eye" may have been entertaining, but it's going to take more than a mystery phone woman to make that happen.

Grade: B

"Eagle Eye" is rated PG-13 for language and violence.

Chris Jenness is a freelance graphic designer, artist and movie buff who lives in Nikiski.