https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxpX8-efsZI

“Eye in the Sky” is a different war movie than most theatre goers are used to seeing. From “All Quiet On The Western Front”, “Top Gun”, “Mr. Roberts”, “Patton” to ‘Searching For Private Ryan” that dealt with troops fighting each other on or over land or water here we are not dealing with troops fighting other troops but people in rooms far away from where the action is taking place, directing where manless drones should attack and destroy areas and killing people. There are cameras in the shape of flies sending pictures back to the command office that aid those in charge to make decisions.

The film starts off with the intention of capturing a woman whom is on the list of most wanted militants which is observed at the Cabinet office of Lieutenant General Frank Benson (Alan Rickman’s last performance) . Jumping back and forth across continents Colonel Katherine Powell (Helen Mirren) oversees the whole operation and is responsible for the outcome. What starts out as a capture order turns to a kill order when it is discovered that the woman and some of her allies are getting ready for suicide attacks. At the same time that is found out we also see a young girl we have watched playing with a hula hoop  getting ready to sell bread her mother makes only it is in the ‘kill zone’.

All of a sudden “Eye in the Sky” instead of being a film about war, decisions, and those who make them, becomes an edge of the seat watch the clock thriller as we see the child setting up her table to sell the bread in the streets and the adults in England, the USA and South Africa hold her life in their hands. We watch an undercover agent played by Barkhad Abdi who tries everything he can, including buying her bread to get her away from probable death if orders are carried out and the drones attack.

Along with Mirren, Rickman, Abdi , Aisha Takow as the young girl, there isn’t a false note among the cast also including Jeremy Northam, Phoebe Fox, Carl Beukes and Richard McCabe.

“Eye in the Sky” is an intriguing 102 minutes of the new technology being used in war situations but revolves around a child and whether she will live or die and doesn’t let you forget that no matter what you are seeing on the screen.