This review appeared in slightly different form on August 27, 2005, just after I saw the movie in the theater. It seems mostly forgotten now, which makes it a fine candidate for an Overlooked Movies feature.Vince Keenan is one of the few people I know (besides me and Rosemarie, his wife) who openly admits a liking for Joe and the Volcano. So when he recommends a movie, I pay attention. The other day he recommended Red Eye, so I figured it was worth a look (and not because it starred Rachel McAdams, so stop saying that).
Some of the movie's real horrors have nothing to do with the plot and everything to do with the extreme hassle that air travel has become. As readers of this blog know, I don't approve with those hassles and think they're stupid and ridiculous. But I don't mind mentioning it again.
As for the plot, the less said about it, the better. You don't want to know too much going in, or that would spoil the fun. Let's just say that if you thought you've had bad seatmates on an airplane before, you're lucky you didn't have Cillian Murphy sitting beside you. Sure there are lots of holes in the plot, but only a picky person would even mention them. So I won't. Just go along for the ride, so to speak, and enjoy yourself.
Rachel McAdams does a fine job here as the woman in jeopardy who's better equipped to deal with things than you might think at first, and Cillian Murphy is smoothly ruthless. These two characters have to carry the movie, and McAdams and Murphy are more than up to it.
I don't know if Wes Craven of Nightmare on Elm Street fame has directed a thriller of this kind before, but he's certainly good at it. Check it out.
11 comments:
Let's just say I'd put it about an inch or two above JOE VS. THE VOLCANO on the "movies I hate" scale and leave it at that. It's sad that someone I like as much as Rachel McAdams has been in so many lousy movies.
My description of the plot of this one would be "an insult to your intelligence."
If you want to do a "forgotten" Rachel McAdams movies that is a lot more worthy of remembering, may I respectfully suggest you look at (the stupidly named because I can never remember the title) THE LUCKY ONES.
Jeff
I'm always open to having my intelligence insulted by Rachel McAdams.
Add my husband to the list of Joe v. Volcano fans. In fact, I gave him a copy on DVD a few years ago as a Christmas stocking stuffer.
Your husband is a man of taste and discrimination.
Well, he married me, so of course I must agree with your assessment!
I've yet to see JOE for more than a few minutes, but I will say I enjoy RED EYE and like THE LUCKY ONES even more. RED EYE is rather unconvincing but fun, which puts it leagues ahead of the likes of INDEPENDENCE DAY/ID4, my favorite example of utter tripe that entirely too many people seem to give a pass.
I would give it a pass if Rachel McAdams were in it.
Kitty loves JOE VS. THE VOLCANO. In spite of that, I'm still married to her.
RED EYE, however, was a fun flick.
Kitty is on the right side of this one.
RED EYE is indeed worth the time: fast, professional and unpretentious. Along these lines, you might check out CELLULAR as another fast-paced thrill-ride movie.
The oddest thing about MacAdams in RED EYE is the whiteface makeup she sports in it.
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