Lots of mayhem in Eagle Eye

TEN years ago, Hollywood gave the world Enemy Of The State, a Will Smith vehicle about how computerised and hi-tech the world is becoming and if evil men somehow managed to abuse and manipulate that technology, all hell would break lose.

Today, Eagle Eye, a Shia LaBeaouf (Transformers, Indiana Jones 4) vehicle, again reminds us how even more computerised and hi-tech the world has become and if evil forces somehow managed to abuse and manipulate that technology, all hell would break lose.

Ok, so Eagle Eye doesn’t have the most original plot; but then again which action film does nowadays? Every other flick this year is either a comic book adaptation (Dark Knight, Iron Man) or a sequel of an existing franchise (James Bond, the Mummy 3).

So an exception is granted, yes? Well, that depends on how you take your action thrillers.

Stitching together threads from the “blackmailed civilian on the run to commit assassination” motif of Johnny Depp’s Nick Of Time, cyber terrorism from Bruce Willis’ Die Hard 4.0 and supersmart HAL computer from 2001: A Space Odyssey as the antagonist; you have Eagle Eye in a nutshell.

The protagonist, Jerry Shaw, a slacker played by LaBeouf in an identical manner in which he played Sam Witwicky in Transformers, goes on the run when his apartment becomes a shipping point for terrorist weapons.

Arrested by the FBI who thinks he has links to Middle Eastern terrorists, he’s suddenly and forcefully broken out of custody via commands delivered via TV screens, electronic signage and mobile phones from an unnamed force sitting in the American nation’s computer data grid.

Jerry is promised his freedom and name cleared if he accomplishes a task for his mysterious and merciless benefactor, and death if he refuses.

Billy Bob Thornton, who plays the FBI agent pursuing Jerry, chews up his first interrogation scene with brisk sarcasm, then settles into conventional barking-at-underlings mode, while Rosario Dawson is so-so as an Air Force investigator looking into weird mishaps surrounding the death of Jerry’s twin brother (plot B).

Adding eye candy to the mayhem is single mum Rachel Hollowman, effectively played by willowy Michelle Monaghan.

Amping up the action is “Michael Bay-isque” director D.J. Caruso (Disturbia), who throttles through the short scenes, interspersing chase sequences with footage that looks like it was shot on actual security cameras.

In short, if you like your action thrillers original, clever, seat-gripping with minimal plot holes — then you might be disappointed with Eagle Eye.

Otherwise Eagle Eye, with its big explosions, realistic car stunts, fluid computer graphics, beautiful women and heroic men is your perfect brew.

Despite that, you’ll still probably walk out of the cinema thinking “actually, the bad guy quite dumb hor?”