Eye in the Sky

Drone warfare has been a hot-button subject for several years now, as rapid technological innovations blast mankind into uncharted territories. Eye in the Sky (rated R for brief gruesome images and language) is the latest film to explore the moral minefields of drone warfare, and it’s a knuckle-biting one.

The “eye in the sky” is really multiple pairs of eyes from four continents—all transfixed, via drone surveillance, on a little house at a busy neighborhood in Nairobi, Kenya. One pair belongs to London-based Col. Katherine Powell (Helen Mirren at her steely best), who oversees a joint anti-terrorism operation among Britain, the United States, and Kenyan militias. After six years, she’s finally tracked down a radicalized Brit (Lex King) and two British and American recruits—No. 2, No. 4, and No. 5 on her Most Wanted list—together in one spot with other al-Shabab terrorists: Jackpot! When the recruits begin strapping on explosives for a suicide attack, Powell asks her superior, Lt. Gen. Frank Benson (Alan Rickman in his last role), to switch the objective from “capture” to “kill” using a U.S. military drone missile.

Things get complicated when a 9-year-old girl (Aisha Takow, a real-life Somali refugee) camps right outside the targeted house to sell bread. Las Vegas–based drone pilot Steve Watts (Aaron Paul, master of anguished eyes) refuses to strike, and an exasperated Powell exclaims, “Many children’s lives are at stake. This is just one girl!”

“Refer-ups” for approval climb the chain of command as officials each try to wash blood off their hands. They debate legal, political, and propaganda consequences, all the while unable to tear their gaze away from the little girl on their screen.

Eye in the Sky is not so much a critique of modern warfare as it is a rich, complex, panoramic discussion about the price of security. Though there isn’t much real action, the movie makes you tremble, tear hair, chuckle, and feel the stress in every military base, surveillance cabin, and conference room. Tums are recommended.