If a stranger called you on your phone and ordered you to do something along the lines of robbing an armored vehicle, would you do it? Let’s look at how Jerry Shaw reacts. Shia LaBeouf plays “Jerry”, a young man who ditched college to make his own way through card game hustles and clerking at a copy shop. After the death of his twin brother strange things start happening to Mr. Shaw. His bank account gets a major boost. His apartment is full of weapons and bomb making supplies. And some woman calls him on the phone warning him to flee before the Feds take him in. Poor Jerry is taken into custody for suspected terrorist activities.

Meanwhile, Rachel Holloman (Michelle Monaghan) drops her son off at the train station for a class trip. Rachel later receives a phone call from the same “mystery lady” that called Jerry. The woman tells Rachel that if she doesn’t comply then her son will pay the price with his life! 

Jerry escapes custody thanks to the mystery lady’s directions and meets up with Rachel. The two form a reluctant duo that follows the crazy orders being dictated from the cell phone. Sure they could just run away but the woman is just the voice for an even larger establishment. It seems there are secret agents everywhere keeping their eyes fixed on Jerry and Rachel. Who are these people? Are they terrorists? Are they CIA? Are they disgruntled Indiana Jones fans?

So walking into “Eagle Eye” I’m already asking myself kind of covert operations group is that voice attached to and what crazy scheme are Jerry & Rachel caught up in? When the big secret was unveiled I was quite surprised. The movie went from a government espionage thriller to a science fiction action ride.

Movies like this are such a challenge to review because part of the draw is the big secret. If I told you who was behind the voice there’s probably something like a 50/50 chance that you would check it out. Honestly, even when we find out about the identity of the group pulling Jerry & Rachel’s strings we still don’t have a solution as to how the two captives will free themselves from this dangerous escapade.

What I can tell you is that I thought the movie was extremely exciting. The action sequences were breathtaking. I would love to know how many vehicles were smashed up during the making of this film. The story was a lot more interesting than I thought it would be. It’s not just the mystery woman. There’s also the mission that she forces Rachel & Jerry to embark on. The audience is fed one puzzle piece at a time along with the two captives. That creates a nice collective “Ohmigod!” when the big plan is completely realized.

This movie also paints the Feds and the Air Force in a positive light. Of course they’re really suspicious about Ethan at first. I mean, he had semi-automatics and explosive chemicals clogging up his living room. I would throw him in the clink in a heartbeat based on the evidence alone. But the agents played by Billy Bob Thornton, Rosario Dawson & Ethan Embry begin to see the true patterns and use their resources to stop the forces controlling the two innocents.

The performances are pretty standard. Rosario Dawson’s Air Force investigator is tough as steel which makes for an entertaining contrast to Billy Bob Thornton’s ornery homeland security commander. LaBeouf plays his usual “yo, wassup. I’m cool.” character while Monaghan is the emotionally wrecked yet driven mother who will do whatever it takes to save her son. Thornton seems to win the prize of having the catchiest phrases in the movie.

“Eagle Eye” is a decent shot of adrenaline into the heavy autumn drama season. If you're not in the mood to watch Kiera Knightley running around in poufy ballgowns or spend a romantic evening in Rodanthe with Richard Gere then get your motor running with “Eagle Eye”.

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