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"RED EYE" (2005) (Rachel McAdams, Cillian Murphy) (PG-13) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Mild Moderate Extreme Heavy Extreme Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Mild Mild Extreme None Heavy Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Moderate Minor Moderate Moderate Extreme QUICK TAKE: Suspense/Thriller: Faced with a decision that could end one man's life while saving her father's, a hotel manager must contend with a terrorist who's trapped her on an overnight flight and needs her help to carry out his nefarious plan. PLOT: Lisa Reisert (RACHEL McADAMS) is a manager at Miami's Lux Atlantic hotel who's returning there from Dallas where she's attended her grandmother's funeral. Having just called her retired and divorced father Joe (BRIAN COX), Lisa is ready to return, but bad weather has forced her flight to be delayed. While waiting in the terminal, she meets another passenger, Jackson Rippner (CILLIAN MURPHY), and the two wile away the hours with small talk. Once their flight is ready for take-off, the two board the plane, only to find that their seats are actually next to each other. Puzzled by the coincidence, Lisa soon learns it's anything but that. It turns out that Jackson is part of an elaborate plot involving Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Charles Keefe (JACK SCALIA) who's scheduled to stay at Lisa's hotel. If Lisa doesn't have the official moved to another room, one of Jackson's minions -- who's reportedly parked outside Joe's house -- will kill him. Having already called her assistant Cynthia (JAYMA MAYS) to make the move, and now trapped on the red eye flight with the increasingly demanding and dangerous Jackson, Lisa must figure out what to do and how to save the lives of both her father and Keefe. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? If they're fans of anyone in the cast, director Wes Craven and/or suspense/thrillers, they just might. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13 For some intense sequences of violence and language. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: RACHEL McADAMS plays a hotel manager who finds herself between a rock and a hard place when she learns she's part of Jackson's nefarious plan. Trapped and with few options, she tries to thwart the terrorist all while hoping to save her dad and Keefe from harm. She uses some profanity and drinks some. CILLIAN MURPHY plays the terrorist who's infiltrated Lisa's life and is now using her as a pawn in his overall plan. Initially charming, he turns increasingly demanding and dangerous toward her as the clock keeps ticking toward the execution of his scheme. He uses profanity and drinks some. BRIAN COX plays Lisa's dad who's unaware of the threat awaiting him. JACK SCALIA plays the Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security who's similarly unaware that he's the target of Jackson's plan. JAYMA MAYS plays Lisa's assistant who's new to the job and finds herself in a tough situation ranging from unhappy guests to a literally explosive turn of events. She uses some profanity. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: Here's a brief summary of the content found in this suspense/thriller that's been rated PG-13. Profanity consists of at least 1 "f" word, while other expletives and colorful phrases are also uttered. Some non-explicit, sexually related dialogue is briefly present (about what's mistaken as a sexual encounter in an airplane lavatory), while a woman is briefly seen in her bra as she changes clothes. Violence consists of several deaths (being shot, being hit by a car), a missile destroying part of a hotel, and a man striking, otherwise throttling and attempting to kill a woman, while a writing pen is jammed into a person's throat. Some of that has bloody results, the perpetrators have extreme cases of bad attitudes, and those scenes and other moments of peril (including most of the final third of the film) may be unsettling and/or suspenseful to viewers. Some brief drinking and smoking are present, and a woman, returning from her grandmother's funeral, worries about her divorced father who she knows is in grave danger. If you're still concerned about the film and its appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home who may be interested in seeing it, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. For those prone to visually induced motion sickness, some of the camerawork (particularly in the turbulence scenes) is rather shaky. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE Lisa tells Cynthia to make sure there are Cuban cigars and champagne in Keefe's room before he arrives. Jackson and others drink at a bar where Lisa joins him. He tries to guess what type of drink she usually has, but she ends up ordering a Bay Breeze. Later, when she bangs her head inside the plane, she jokes that her drink was strong, that she's usually not such a lightweight (drinker), and that she had cheap wine at the funeral before that. When one flight attendant points out that Lisa has hit her call button, another says Lisa probably just wants a drink and then jokes that maybe she'll join her. Jackson proves that he knows about Lisa's lifestyle, including commenting on the occasional cocktail she has. We see a bottle of champagne in a hotel room. Lisa asks Cynthia what's in the bar. Cynthia says it's champagne, with Lisa saying anything but a Bay Breeze (the drink she earlier had with Jackson). BLOOD/GORE When Lisa says she has to go to the bathroom, Jackson holds up a bottle and says that's the best he can do for her (but he eventually lets her go, although she does not use the facilities while there). Lisa coughs/gags face-first into the plane's toilet, but doesn't appear to vomit. Jackson suddenly head-butts Lisa in her seat, knocking her unconscious and leaving a lone trickle of blood on his forehead. Lisa suddenly jabs a large writing pen into a man's throat, causing him to choke. We see the pen sticking out, but the only blood appears to be on his shirt (and it's only just a little, even after he yanks the pen out -- and then wraps a scarf around his neck to conceal the wound). A man who's been hit by an SUV is dead on the floor with a little bit of blood on him, but there's a growing pool of blood on the floor next to his head. A man's shirt is bloody in two spots from where he's been shot. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE Jackson and those in cahoots with him all have bad attitudes for their nefarious assassination plan, kidnapping of Lisa and threatening to kill her father. A delayed passenger acts like a jerk toward an airline representative. Jackson states that his work involves assassinations and overthrowing governments. Lisa steals a stranger's SUV at the airport so that she can escape and get help. A married couple act like jerks toward Cynthia and then later Lisa about being inconvenienced in their hotel stay. FRIGHTENING SCENES Scenes listed under "Violence," "Blood/Gore" and "Jump Scenes" may be unsettling, suspenseful or scary to younger viewers and/or those with low tolerance levels for such material. For those who are nervous about or afraid of flying, several scenes (including one at lift-off) depict severe turbulence inside the plane as a bad storm rages on outside it. Lisa realizes she's in a bad spot when Jackson states that if she wants her father to live, she'll have to follow his directions which will likely lead to Keefe's assassination (and she later learns his family is also targeted). He also tells her that if she tells the flight attendants, her father will die. Jackson tells Lisa that his associate is outside her dad's place, sharpening his 12-inch knife. Lisa tries to scribble a note to another passenger when Jackson is momentarily distracted. Jackson suddenly head-butts Lisa in her seat, knocking her unconscious and leaving a lone trickle of blood on his forehead. Jackson tells Lisa that if she doesn't cooperate, she'll bury her dad in a closed casket. When Jackson realizes what Lisa has done, he pushes her back into the small bathroom on the plane and slams her back against a wall. He holds her by the face while threatening her and then slams her against another wall while starting to choke her. Lisa suddenly jabs a large writing pen into a man's throat, causing him to choke. As she tries to escape, he trips her in the plane's aisle. Lisa tries to race out of the plane and then hide in the airport gate as Jackson comes after her. Once he spots her, she takes off running, falls to the floor at the end of the moving sidewalk and barely makes it onto the people mover before he shows up as the doors close. The end of the movie, where Lisa tries to elude Jackson (including cat & mouse moments, close calls, fighting, etc.) and save both her dad and Keefe will likely be tense and suspenseful to viewers. As we see the terrorists planning to launch a missile at the hotel, Cynthia races to get the Deputy Secretary and everyone else out of the targeted suite. A man repeatedly shoots at Lisa as she drives toward him in an SUV, eventually striking him with it and then throwing him inside a house that she crashes into (he's dead). Lisa discovers her dad unconscious on the floor, but must contend with Jackson who's in the house with them. Lisa causes Jackson to trip over a chair and then throws a fire extinguisher at him. When he grabs her, she kicks him in the leg and head-butts him, sending him careening down the stairs. Jackson uses a large knife to break open a locked door to try to get at Lisa. He then swings that large knife at Lisa who avoids that, and then hits him several times with one of her dad's large canes. Jackson pushes Lisa back against a wall where he pins her arms. He then throws her down the stairs and she bangs her head hard at the bottom. Lisa shoots a man once, but he kicks the gun from her hand and then grabs her. Joe then shoots the man in the chest again (a lethal shot). GUNS/WEAPONS Handguns/Knife: Used to threaten or kill others. See "Violence" for details. Government men hold automatic weapons as they check a boat on the water in the vicinity of the hotel. Rocket: Used in an assassination attempt, resulting in no deaths but lots of property damage. Jackson uses a large knife to break open a locked door to try to get at Lisa. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "The money's sh*t," "Our lives go to sh*t," "The sh*t will hit the fan," "They are such *ssholes," "This airline sucks," "Oh Jeez," "Shut up," "Jackass," "Well, suck it up," "What the hell?" and "You can shove it up your ass." It's possible the film could inspire some kids to try to come up with some sort of extortion tactic to get something they want. JUMP SCENES Jackson suddenly head-butts Lisa in her seat, knocking her unconscious and leaving a lone trickle of blood on his forehead. A phone suddenly rings during a tense scene. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) An extreme amount of ominous and suspenseful music plays in the film. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY At least 1 "f" word (and another possible one), 9 "s" words, 3 asses (2 used with "hole"), 1 damn, 1 hell, 5 uses of "Oh my God" and 3 uses of "Oh God." SEX/NUDITY After having a beverage spilled on her, Lisa changes in the ladies room and we briefly see her in her bra. After an 11-year-old girl states that a man and woman are in the bathroom together (thinking that means trouble), the flight attendant thinks it's a sexual encounter and says "One of those flights." When she encounters them coming out (and Jackson sarcastically tells Lisa "Thanks for the quickie" -- although nothing sexual happened between them), the flight attendant sternly tells Jackson, "This isn't a motel." Later, she calls him "trash" (while picking up his trash off his tray). The Deputy Secretary's wife shows just a tiny bit of cleavage. SMOKING Lisa tells Cynthia to make sure there are Cuban cigars and champagne in Keefe's room before he arrives. Jackson's associate briefly smokes. TENSE FAMILY SCENES We hear that Lisa's grandmother recently died (at the age of 91) and that Lisa has just attended the funeral. Lisa worries about her dad once she learns that he's at threat from Jackson's plan. We hear that Lisa's parents were married for 32 years, but divorced three years ago. Lisa discovers her dad unconscious on the floor, but must contend with Jackson who's in the house with them. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT The various ways that terrorists can strike and the tactics they use. The comment that travel is war these days. While changing her top, we see a scar on Lisa's chest (from an earlier knife wound). Lisa later states that her chest scar came from an incident two years ago where a man held a knife to her throat. The comment that sometimes bad things happen to good people. VIOLENCE Jackson suddenly head-butts Lisa in her seat, knocking her unconscious and leaving a lone trickle of blood on his forehead. When Jackson realizes what Lisa has done, he pushes her back into the small bathroom on the plane and slams her back against a wall. He holds her by the face while threatening her and then slams her against another wall while starting to choke her. Lisa suddenly jabs a large writing pen into a man's throat, causing him to choke. As she tries to escape, he trips her in the plane's aisle. A girl makes Jackson trip by pushing her luggage out in his path, but he gets up and pushes a flight attendant to the floor as he pursues Lisa. A missile is fired at the hotel and creates a huge explosion upon impact, knocking two men off their feet in the adjacent hallway (but no one is killed). A man repeatedly shoots at Lisa as she drives toward him in an SUV, eventually striking him with it and then throwing him inside a house that she crashes into (he's dead). Lisa causes Jackson to trip over a chair and then throws a fire extinguisher at him. When he grabs her, she kicks him in the leg and head-butts him, sending him careening down the stairs. Lisa throws a large vase at Jackson that breaks upon impact with his arm that he uses to shield his face. Jackson uses a large knife to break open a locked door to try to get at Lisa. He then swings that large knife at Lisa who avoids that, but hits him several times with one of her dad's large canes. Jackson pushes Lisa back against a wall where he pins her arms. He then throws her down the stairs and she bangs her head hard at the bottom. Lisa shoots a man once, but he kicks the gun from her hand and then grabs her. Joe then shoots the man in the chest again (a lethal shot). Reviewed August 11, 2005 / Posted August 19, 2005

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