Dubbed an ‘excellent movie all round’, the edge-of-your-seat war drama thriller has completely captivated audiences, with some fans declaring it’s ‘the best movie’ they’ve ‘ever seen’.
The ‘masterpiece’ film has a near-perfect rating on Rotten Tomatoes(Image: Entertainment One)
If war films and talented actors are your genre of entertainment, we’ve got a movie recommendation that’ll be right up your alley.
Dubbed an ‘excellent movie all round’, the edge-of-your-seat war drama thriller has completely captivated audiences, with some fans declaring it’s ‘the best movie’ they’ve ‘ever seen’.
Eye in the Sky is a 2016 war drama starring British acting royalty — and it’s currently available to stream for free on BBC iPlayer. The modern warfare thriller stars the late great British icon and acting legend Alan Rickman, and is considered his last live-action feature film — having released posthumously on April 15, 2016, just months after Rickman died on January 14 that same year. His last film overall though, is Alice Through the Looking Glass, which features him in a voice acting role only.
Eye in the Sky has been dedicated to the Harry Potter star, and while Rickman is definitely one of the highlights of the war drama, he’s far from being the only scene-stealer.
Directed by Gavin Hood with a screenplay penned by Guy Hibbert, Eye in the Sky stars the legendary Helen Mirren in the lead alongside Rickman. The pair are joined by Aaron Paul, Barkhad Abdi, Jeremy Northam, Michael O’Keefe, Phoebe Fox and Iain Glen in supporting roles to round out a talented cast.
Speaking to Collider about her co-star Rickman, Mirren shared: “I think that Alan would have been incredibly proud that this was his last movie. It is what I love about it, which is that the Alan you see up on screen is much closer to the real Alan Rickman that we all knew and loved. You see his intelligence, you see his wit, and you see his authority. I think that that was very much the Alan that we knew.”
With an almost perfect 95% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Eye in the Sky seems to be loved by one and all.
One viewer was clear the film belonged to Rickman as they wrote on IMDB: “This is Alan Rickman’s movie. He is the star, the cast person who carries the movie. The movie itself is excellent. It tells a compelling story and succeeds in building dramatic tension without becoming contrived.
“The conflict is presented plainly. Every character plays an important role. Yet, Rickman drives this movie. His performance as the general in charge of the operation should earn him at least consideration for the highest official accolades.”
While another fan of the film said: “Excellent movie all around! I rarely give very high ratings, so take this 10 as solid approval. This is a very well-made movie. It’s dramatic (fitting the occasion), compelling, exciting, interesting, intriguing, well-paced, informative, insightful, well scripted, well acted, evocative, relevant, just, intuitive, comprehensive, and so on.
“All of these. I found it very enjoyable to watch, and I followed along and fully understood the situation presented and all of its challenges. It’s difficult to imagine any ways it could be improved.”
An audience review on Rotten Tomatoes states: “Genuinely one of the best films I have ever seen – could be a fantastic debating resource for schools, colleges and universities. Brilliantly communicated from every angle.”
While one viewer said in a glowing review: “I have to say: This film blows my mind. The combination of the suspense, the back-and-forth, and the frustration exceeds any out-of-the-world action sequences; not to mention Mirren and Rickman being superb as always.”
Critics were left equally impressed, with one writing: “It’s a tight thriller played out smoothly but tying the viewer in moral knots. A film to think about for days, with little hope of finding a comfortable answer.”
While another reviewer said: “Eye in the Sky is a disturbing, intelligent and very well crafted contemporary thriller with a solid screenplay by Guy Hibbert and seamless direction.”
A third critic added: “This is the kind of intelligent, thought-provoking mainstream film that’s in danger of becoming extinct. Eye in the Sky is miles above the average multiplex flick.”
Eye in the Sky is available to watch free of cost on BBC iPlayer.