War is hell. Even though we are more than a century past General Sherman’s quote, war in this techno-scientific age still cannot shake his conclusion.
Colonel Katherine Powell (Helen Mirren) heads up operations for an international anti-terrorist group in a secluded room tethered by satellite to her superiors far from any danger. She electronically controls a hovering armed drone a half continent away. A known terrorist group is in a building preparing for two human bombers aiming for 100 deaths each. A bug within confirms the targets as authentic. From this antiseptic position, decisions are easy to make. Take out the building with a precision strike.
Collateral damage to casual pedestrians is a given, but a lone young girl selling bread at a stand outside the building is another matter. She is not some random passer-by with bad luck. Making the strike is a deliberate death sentence for her that is passed up the chain of command to no avail. No one wants to be responsible, leaving the decision and its consequences in Powell’s hands alone.
Highly regarded Mirren is outstanding as expected. The real heroine is the young girl played delightfully by Fasia Fatina.
“The Eye in the Sky” is high drama, but the story line is repetitive. Be warned that it takes a strong stomach to digest the physiological tidbits of this movie now playing at the Rialto Theater in The Villages.
Jack Petro reviews movies for Villages-News.com