Eye In The Sky

Story: Colonel Catherine Powell (Mirren) heads an operation to kill a group of terrorists in strife-ridden Kenya. The operation however, involves no boots on the ground. It’s carried out via a drone and a well-placed Hellfire missile. Matters get complicated when a girl strays in the target area to sell bread. Apart from drone pilot Steve Watts (Paul) refusing to fire, the matter quickly escalates into an international dispute over the right course of action. Do they carry out the strike and risk killing the girl?

Review: Eye In The Sky is a gripping examination of the protocols behind drone warfare. These battles however, play out like a video game, with pilots sitting in a dark room filled with display screens a continent away, moving a joystick. However, drone warfare is as rule-driven – or at least it is made out to be – as ever. Guidelines of engagement have to be adhered to and collateral damage has to ideally be zero. And the collateral damage angle forms the backbone of this movie.



Watts and his co-pilot face a moral dilemma and refuse to fire. Powell then has to approach Lt Gen Frank Benson (Rickman) who in turn has to sit around with a bunch of ministers and government officials and debate about whether to fire or not. These discussions reach almost farcical levels, with one section concerned about the humanitarian angle and the other keen to make a straightforward military decision.

Rickman may not have much screen time, but puts in a compelling show. The film is in fact, dedicated to him. His comments and one-liners add some zing and humour to what would have otherwise been a rather heavy film. Mirren too excels as the hard-headed colonel and Abidi, playing an enabler on the ground, is completely on point. The only weak spot is the way the drone pilots’ emotions are depicted. In real life, they’d surely be trained to deal with the prospect of collateral damage. That aside, this is definitely one of Gavin Hood’s (X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Ender's Game) better films. Eye In The Sky hits the bulls eye.