I can't see this film as an insider. I don't know enough about the realities of drone warfare. I would be surprised that those chosen to do the jobs would be so indecisive. Either you do the work of finding the worst of the worst and act on it, or you don't do it at all. To be so badly trained for the possibility of dealing with civilian casualties should probably be grounds for never being in this position. I'm not saying there is no room for compassion, but, let's face it, the people they were honing in on we're capable of a thousand times worse activity. The movie is contrived because if the bread salesman had been an emaciated, middle aged woman, I doubt that there would have been hesitation. It pulls at our heartstrings, right. The person I was most fearful for was the man who put his life in danger again and again, using devices to spy on the little compound. But he is also victimized by the filmmaker. He is careless with his remote control device, allowing that little boy to become a nuisance. What is the lesson here? What do we want to do with suicide bombers? Is all life sacred or isn't it? Those are the questions we need to confront.

One of the best films centered on the war against terrorism that integrates today's truly amazing military and intelligence technology (highlighting drones and the people who guide them to the identification and surveillance of targets, pinpoint accurate missles, and collateral damage assessments/estimating programs),and the moral, ethical, legal and political conflicts of making such decisions within the "rules of engagement" by military and political leaders (and their advisors),that are executed by military, intelligence and field personnel when there is a high-likelyhood of collateral damage.

Film succeeds without being preachy or political, amazingly leaving the film goer to both live in the shoes of each character, and decide for themselves what they would do in the situation.

It is superbly acted and directed, the movie paced well so that it thoroughly engrosses the viewer, and builds a nail-biting tension throughout the duration of the film.

I imagine the majority of people who see this film will be both awed by some of the technology military/intelligence used today (although those used in the film may not actually be available, such as the flying beetle spy-cam) , and will have a greater appreciation for the complexities of decision-making involved, and its impact on both military personnel, politicians, and civilians.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

As this film was playing, I noticed that so many people in the audience were on the edge of their seats or clutching the person next to them..."Eye in the Sky" is that gripping. Expertly directed by Gavin Hood (director of the Oscar-winning Best Foreign Language film, "Tsotsi"),with an excellent story by Guy Hibbert as well as some amazing acting make this one of the best films of the year! Frankly...I was shocked how much I liked this film and the audience also seemed very pleased. This picture will be released widely in the coming weeks and I was fortunate enough to see it at the opening night gala at the Gasparilla International Film Festival in Tampa, Florida. With an opening night movie this good, expectations for the rest of the festival are very high.

The film is set during a very short time period...nearly the actual running time of the movie. It takes place around the globe...in The United Kingdom, Las Vegas, Hawaii as well as Kenya! And, as the action heats up, through expert editing the film works very well...and you feel as if you are there watching the politicians and military personnel as they make their decisions and consider all the consequences.

When the film begins, the Colonel (Helen Mirren) awakens from be in her home in Britain. She's an early riser and in the next scene, she's in a command center...looking over live surveillance footage being beamed to them from a drone flying over Kenya. At first, things seem pretty normal...and she and the folks in the US and Kenya are going about their jobs keeping an eye on some minor terrorists. However, suddenly the drone catches a glimpse of something very important...three of these people now under surveillance are among the five most wanted terrorists in the region...two Brits and an American who have converted to radical Islam. So the Colonel just orders the drone to take them out, right? Nope...not even close. Instead, it's like you have an up close seat to watch the struggle between politicians and military men and women who have very different objectives and senses of duty as they determine what to do next. You see the Colonel go up the chain of command and you realize that the wars of the 21st century are often fought by committee...even in the case of one drone attack. It's frustratingly slow and difficult. Soon, government ministers, prime ministers and generals (one of which is played by Alan Rickman in his final film) all get involved. And so, although they now all know that these bad folks are there, it takes nearly the entire film for the powers that bad make a decision. After all, this is in a city...and there's bound to be collateral damage. These decision makers are not caricatures but folks who struggle with what to do next...especially when they can see a small child standing close to the house...and firing would probably mean her death. In many ways, although the film is chock full of amazing current technology and gadgets, the film is about people...people with enormous decisions ahead of them. Sounds tense, huh? It gets worse...one of their micro-drones gets a peek inside...and two of the folks inside this compound are strapping bombs to their bodies and it looks like they are leaving soon! And, to just kill these people would take out civilians as well...there just doesn't seem to be any way around that, no matter how hard they try.

What I love about this film is that it really doesn't matter what your opinion is about the war on terror...the film has something for everyone. It provokes you emotionally, it makes you think about the morality of such warfare and it definitely knows how to push all the right buttons in the viewer. Never have I seen an audience so wrapped up in film as this one. I felt my chest tightening throughout and rarely have I felt tension build like it did in this one.

Following this film, the director, Gavin Hood, did a question and answer session. I found this incredibly revealing. The biggest shock to me is that in the movie, there are micro-drones that look almost like birds or insects...and are about the same size. According to Hood, this is a reality...and they managed to use some amazing CG to make it seem as if they were really using these high tech gadgets. Additionally, I was surprised to hear that he never got all the participants together and filmed many of the parts separately over a very long period and then pieced them together. This was done for practical reasons, as unlike many of Hood's recent films (such as X-Men Origins: Wolverine and Ender's Game),this was an independent film and had to be made on a much smaller. So, the production company was only able to get Ms. Mirren for a week...so they quickly shot these scenes. Later, Rickman and others were brought on board and their scenes were filmed later. And as for the American, British and Kenyan locations...they were all done in Hood's native land, in Cape Town, South Africa. Despite these shortcuts, there is nothing second-rate about the film. It looks great but more importantly its one heck of a wild ride! See this film...and I recommend you see it soon as a film like this works especially well up on a big screen.