Movies & More: 'Eagle Eye' delivers intense action

Movies & More reviewer John Gillispie thinks that "Eagle Eye," rated PG-13 and starring Shia LaBeouf and Michelle Monaghan, is an exciting action adventure with a couple of surprises.

There was a time not so long ago when people weren't expected to be in constant contact with the rest of the world. Before cell phones and pagers and such, things seemed less hectic.

The advance of technology is at the heart of "Eagle Eye," which was recently released on DVD. Rising young star Shia LaBeouf plays Jerry Shaw, a young man who is not living up to his potential. After the sudden death of his twin brother, who was in the military, Jerry returns home from the funeral to find that he is being set up to appear to be a terrorist.

A mysterious woman's voice on the phone tells him to flee, but he doesn't listen and is arrested and interrogated by Agent Thomas Morgan (Billy Bob Thornton). When attempting to make his one phone call, Jerry is once again assisted by the woman's voice on the phone.

Whatever group the woman is with is able to control traffic signals, send messages to Jerry over electronic display boards and even control robotic equipment. It seems amazing that the group is able to do so much in such a short amount of time, but that is soon explained after Jerry escapes from custody and is set up to work with a young woman named Rachel Holloman (Michelle Monaghan).

Both Jerry and Rachel are being threatened by the woman's voice on the phone. Rachel has a young son on a school trip and the woman threatens to derail the train the boy is on. Fearing for their lives and the lives of others, Jerry and Rachel are forced into many dangerous situations.

Once you discover with whom the woman's voice is associated the movie makes more sense if you just accept the explanation and don't try to fight it. I don't want to give too much away, because I did find this plot development to be a surprise.

For two hours, "Eagle Eye" continues at a pretty quick pace. It's entertaining and features another fine performance by LaBeouf, who seems to be becoming one of the more successful young movie stars of his generation.

Rosario Dawson as Zoe Perez and Michael Chiklis as the Defense Secretary add to the success of the movie, which does make you wonder if we need so much technology in our lives.

John Gillispie is the public relations director for the Huntington Museum of Art. Contact the writer at jgillisp@hmoa.org.

The Associated Press

Shia LaBeouf stars in the thriller "Eagle Eye."

The Associated Press

Shia LaBeouf, left, and Michelle Monaghan star as two unsuspecting Americans drawn into a mysterious conspiracy in the race-against-time thriller "Eagle Eye."