I'd like to begin my review of Red Eye by stealing a line from my good buddy Scott Weinberg who resides over at Hollywood Bitchslap (at least I'm being honest and citing my source!). As we were walking out of the Red Eye screening the other night, he stated, "That was Craven working on 20%" and he's absolutely right. Not that this is a bad thing mind you, with the exception of Cursed and Music from the Heart, I've seen every film good ole' Wes has directed, and I've liked every single one of them (to a certain degree) and Wes isn't always working at 100%. Red Eye is no exception, but it's not as high a percentage of Craven as I'd like to see and it may even be the least I've seen up until this point.. The bottom line here is that Red Eye is a quick, unapologetic piece of celluloid filth...that I enjoyed very much.

Have you seen the trailers for Red Eye? Then you're probably just as confused as we were when we first entered the theatre. DreamWorks must be having a hell of a time marketing this one; they definitely have their work cut out for them. Rachel McAdams stars as Lisa Reisert. A successful, yet obviously overworked young woman with an increasingly cheery disposition...about everything. She's the manager at a luxurious hotel, and everybody loves her. Despite her hectic schedule, Lisa plans an impromptu trip to Miami after her grandmother's untimely death. Even on her way to the airport she's fielding calls from Assistant Hotel Manager Cynthia (Jayma Mays).

Through a chance encounter at the airport, (yeah right) Lisa bumps into a young man by the name of Jackson Rippner (Cillian Murphy)...Jack The Ripper, get it? . Reluctant at first (and rightfully so) Lisa eventually gives in and has a drink with Jackson before her flight. There's some chitchat and the two part ways. However, once on her flight, imagine Lisa's surprise when she discovers that coincidentally (yeah right) she's seated right next to Mr. Rippner. It's a rough take off, not only because of the turbulence, but also because it's at this moment that Jackson reveals his true identity and purpose to Lisa.

Without giving anything further away, know that Jackson reveals that his associate is parked in front of Lisa's father's home, ready to strike when given the word. And all Lisa has to do to save him is make a quick call to the hotel. The reason? An influential businessman is staying at the hotel with his family and their room needs to be switched so the family can be 'taken out' - quick and easy.

If it sounds confusing, it is...at least in theory. However, the way it's played out on screen is anything but complicated. Quite simple actually and the audience seemed to eat every last bit of it up. The story feels as if it's broken down into three acts. Lisa before the flight, Lisa during the flight and Lisa after the flight. Unfortunately, the three don't gel together very well, causing a bit of choppiness that one would expect from a poorly written three-act play. Wes does what he can with the material, and delivers a fun, if not poorly executed, slightly predictable B movie. Think a notch or two above a decent time waster of a direct to video thriller and you'll have an idea of where we're heading.

One of the biggest surprises about the film would have to be the performances. Both Rachel McAdams and Cillian Murphy are a pleasure to watch and seem to relish the roles they've been given. If you were as impressed as I was with Cillian Murphy's performance in Batman Begins as Scarecrow then you'll be really happy to see him in this film. The two play off one another very well here. Also, Jayma Mays as Assistant Hotel Manager Cynthia was fresh in my mind from her recent role as a Canadian Nanny on a recent episode of Six Feet Under. She makes the most of her time here as well, despite her all to brief moments of screen time.

While the scenes on the plane are at times, quite suspenseful, nothing can topple the final act of the film for pure cinematic mayhem. So much onscreen craziness takes place from the time Lisa exits the plane until the final resolution; it's pretty fucking mind-boggling. I'm not saying anything else, it just wouldn't be fair, but the films' final 15-20 minutes are simply crazy and alone could warrant admission into the film. Trust me when I tell you it's silly over the top goodness with a small side of suspense.

In the end, we've got a pretty bold PG-13 film, and even though I hate to use the term 'guilty pleasure' it's most fitting in describing Red Eye. Don't go to see it because it's a Wes Craven film. See it if you're interested in an 'at the moment' enjoyable thriller that defies logic and provides a solid, quickly paced 90-minutes of entertainment. It's cinematic garbage that's not nearly as clever as it thinks it is. This is for damn sure. But it may very well be the most entertaining piece of cinematic garbage you're likely to see this year.