The 2005 psychological thriller Red Eye, starring Rachel McAdams and Cillian Murphy, is now available to stream on BBC iPlayer. The film follows a hotel manager who becomes entangled in an assassination plot while aboard a red-eye flight to Miami.
A Tense Plot Unfolds
Rachel McAdams plays Lisa Reisert, a hotel manager who is charmed by a fellow passenger at the airport bar before boarding the Miami-bound flight. Cillian Murphy takes on the role of Jackson Rippner, a terrorist scheming to assassinate the United States Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security.
Once the flight departs, Rippner's charming exterior gives way to menace as he reveals his plot. His intended target is staying at the very hotel Lisa manages, and he instructs her to arrange for the Keefe family to be relocated to a different suite, where a missile will be fired. Lisa makes repeated attempts to stall the call and seek help, but Rippner remains one step ahead.
Fan Praise and Critical Views
As the plane lands in Miami, Lisa resolves to stop being manipulated, making decisions that alter the course of the attack. Fans have heaped praise on both performances online. One Rotten Tomatoes review claims: "Best movie ever, Rachel McAdams is so talented actress."
Another viewer wrote: "One of Rachel McAdam's best movies. It's a great suspense movie which keeps you on the edge of your seat on how she is going to get out of the predicament she is in. Cillian Murphy was great also. He played an excellent villain."
Mixed Legacy
The film, based on a story by Ellsworth and Dan Foos, slipped under the radar upon release, with even Cillian Murphy failing to regard it as a 'good film'. In 2024, he said: "I love Rachel McAdams and we had fun making it but I don't think it's a good movie. It's a good B movie."
A 'B' movie is typically a low-budget production made to entertain audiences quickly and cheaply. Fans disagree, writing: "Red Eye is a tight, suspenseful thriller that proves you don't need elaborate set pieces or sprawling locations to deliver an edge-of-your-seat experience. With most of the action unfolding between a hotel and an airplane, the film builds tension through smart writing, tight direction, and two powerhouse performances."
Red Eye is streaming now on BBC iPlayer.
