Eye in the Sky

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2:30

Eye in the Sky

R

2016

1h 42m

Mystery & Thriller

War

Drama

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Popcornmeter

95%

Tomatometer

219 Reviews

82%

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25,000+ Ratings

A lieutenant general (Alan Rickman) and a colonel (Helen Mirren) face political opposition after ordering a drone missile strike to take out a group of suicide bombers in Nairobi, Kenya.

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Critics Consensus

As taut as it is timely, Eye in the Sky offers a powerfully acted -- and unusually cerebral -- spin on the modern wartime political thriller.

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Raphael Abraham

Financial Times

Director Gavin Hood works the tension and the moral uncertainty to good effect but at times the film feels schematic and too much like revision.

Rated: 3/5

Dec 27, 2016

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Dwight Brown

National Newspaper Publishers Association

It's hard to watch the film and not vacillate between wanting them to act, and wanting them to stand down.

Nov 8, 2016

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Sara Michelle Fetters

MovieFreak.com

Hood and Hibbert's procedural is a crackerjack affair in all the ways that count, and it's safe to say it looks at this hot button issue in a way certain to get audiences talking afterward.

Rated: 3/4

Aug 11, 2016

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Sarah Vincent

Sarah G Vincent Views

“Eye in the Sky” is well-intentioned, but boring AF and probably would make a better television series than film because then the characters could be three-dimensional instead of archetypes.

Jun 9, 2024

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Considers a much larger canvas than the warfare itself, from the politicians approving drone missions to the undercover agents on the ground scouting them.

Rated: 3.5/4

Apr 18, 2022

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

To their enormous credit, director Gavin Hood and writer Guy Hibbert offer no easy answers and take no easy outs, electing instead to keep viewers as conflicted and uncomfortable as the characters on the screen.

Rated: 3.5/4

Sep 18, 2021

Full Review

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William W

One of the best war thrillers in 10 years. Depicting the extreme unpredictability and moral complexity of modern war on terror (especially drone warfare).

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/08/25

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Gareth v

A smart, tightly-wound thriller that explores the moral complexity of modern warfare. It's a high-stakes ethical drama that lingers long after the credits roll.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

08/05/25

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Stephen C

1 hour and 42 minutes of drama. Rated R for Some Violent Images and Language!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/13/25

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Ellie S

Very simple but original idea. No idea how it was going to end. Thrilling!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/05/25

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Kashgar A

Not quite the nuanced masterpiece that some of the critics make it out to be, it does deal with weighty moral issues but is very repetitive in its focus on the risk of collateral damage to one individual. And did weI miss the part where that child was only there because her father was hosting a bunch of fanatics who were prepping two imminent suicide bombings?

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/12/25

Full Review

Jim S

While overall it is a decent little movie, it does not have enough heft to cover the 1 hour and 45 minutes run time. There is about 45 minutes worth of a story here. It drags on while dealing with one small detail over and over comprising the entire story. To drop a bomb or not due to collateral damage of 1 little girl.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

12/29/24

Full Review

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Gavin Hood

Director

Helen Mirren

Colonel Katherine Powell

Aaron Paul

Steve Watts

Alan Rickman

Lieutenant General Frank Benson

Barkhad Abdi

Jama Farah

Iain Glen

Foreign Secretary James Willett

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Eye in the Sky: North American Trailer

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Synopsis

A lieutenant general (Alan Rickman) and a colonel (Helen Mirren) face political opposition after ordering a drone missile strike to take out a group of suicide bombers in Nairobi, Kenya.

Director: Gavin Hood
Producer: David Lancaster, Colin Firth, Ged Doherty
Screenwriter: Guy Hibbert
Distributor: Bleecker Street Media
Production Co: Entertainment One, Raindog Films
Rating: R (Some Violent Images|Language)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, War, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 1, 2016, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 4, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $18.7M
Runtime: 1h 42m

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