--- title: "Eye in the Sky: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/eye-in-the-sky/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/eye-in-the-sky" critics_score: 73 critics_reviews: 24 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Eye in the Sky (2015): what the critics said Critics' score 73 from 24 reviews: 18 positive, 5 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics like Eye in the Sky, and they like it for the same reasons: it is tense and it is morally serious. The reviews describe a thriller that stages a drone strike as an argument between offices on three continents and keeps that argument suspenseful from start to finish. The editing draws praise for holding a scattered cast in one clear line, and the performances are widely admired, with Barkhad Abdi and Aaron Paul named most often as the ones who give the debate human weight. The reservations concern the ending and whether the film pushes too hard. Several reviews find the finale melodramatic, and Screen Daily goes furthest, calling the film manipulative and objecting to the use of a child to raise the stakes. Den of Geek thinks there is too much talking; Time Out finds the terror plot familiar. The Guardian and Eye for Film each feel one of the leads, Rickman or Mirren, sits awkwardly in the role. The spread is narrow, with one firm dissent. ## The Hollywood Reporter — THR Staff Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 11 September 2015. Festival review. The critic finds the film morally serious and highly suspenseful, with strong prospects as an entertaining drama. Aaron Paul’s performance is singled out for giving the story psychological weight. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/eye-sky-tiff-review-822192/) ## Variety — Joe Leydon Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 11 September 2015. Festival review. Leydon finds the film a rivetingly suspenseful, hugely entertaining political thriller, though he notes it stops short of becoming full-blown black comedy. He praises its sharp editing and the standout, economical performance from Barkhad Abdi. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2015/film/festivals/toronto-film-review-helen-mirren-in-eye-in-the-sky-1201591280/) ## Evening Standard — David Sexton Fi1m's normalised score 82/100 (inferred from the text). 15 April 2016. Sexton finds the film thoughtful, timely and expertly made, with a serious bearing on current events. He especially praises its tense, complex portrayal of the moral dilemmas surrounding drone strikes. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/eye-in-the-sky-film-review-a3226231.html) ## Empire — Olly Richards Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 7 April 2016. Richards finds it a tight, thought-provoking moral thriller that leaves viewers wrestling with difficult questions. He praises the fluid editing for keeping its fast pace coherent across characters separated by distance. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/eye-sky-review/) ## Los Angeles Times — Sheri Linden Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 10 March 2016. Linden finds the film a fully involving, tense drama that draws viewers into troubling moral questions. She praises the screenplay’s thoughtfulness and the director’s ability to sustain suspense without softening those questions. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-eye-in-sky-review-20160311-story.html) ## The Guardian — Benjamin Lee Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 11 September 2015. Festival review. Lee finds the film an effective, tense thriller that explores drone warfare without dictating what viewers should think. He praises its brisk storytelling and escalating suspense, while noting that some scenes feel flat and Alan Rickman is miscast. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/sep/12/eye-in-the-sky-review-helen-mirren-gavin-hood-drones-tiff) ## Film Comment — Michael Sragow Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). Sragow presents the film as a tense, morally engaged thriller. He praises its willingness to explore the complexities of drone warfare. [Read the review](https://www.filmcomment.com/deep-focus-eye-sky/) ## Radio Times — Emma Simmonds Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 11 April 2016. The review presents the film as thought-provoking and suspenseful. It singles out the nail-biting tension around life-or-death decisions involving drone warfare. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/eye-in-the-sky-review-thought-provoking-and-filled-with-nail-biting-suspense/) ## Slant Magazine — Matt Brennan Rating 3/4. 8 March 2016. Brennan finds the film tense, focused, and sharp in its examination of modern warfare, though its human drama is shaky. He praises its inventive use of surveillance imagery to expose the distance between decisions and their consequences, but faults its schematic characters and mawkish finale. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/eye-in-the-sky/) ## The New York Times — A. O. Scott Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 10 March 2016. The review finds the film an engaging, morally serious thriller, though its earnestness can limit it. It singles out the tense ethical dilemmas around a drone strike as its central strength. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/11/movies/review-eye-in-the-sky-drone-precision-vs-human-failings.html) ## RogerEbert.com Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). Festival review. The URL identifies a TIFF 2015 roundup that includes Eye in the Sky, but the blocked page does not reveal the critic’s verdict. Its specific praise or complaint cannot be verified from the available page. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/festivals/tiff-2015-a-tale-of-love-and-darkness-45-years-eye-in-the-sky) ## Little White Lies — Clarisse Loughrey Rating 2/3/3. 15 April 2016. The critic finds the film smart, tense and surprisingly pointed, despite its textbook approach. Rickman’s performance is singled out for its ability to hold weariness, frustration and bemusement in one expression. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/eye-in-the-sky) ## Time Out — Tom Huddleston Rating 3/5. 12 September 2015. The review finds the drone drama weighed down by familiar terror-plot clichés, despite its tense setup. It praises Helen Mirren and the ensemble, but says the film could have used a clearer vision. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/eye-in-the-sky) ## Screen Daily — Tim Grierson Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 11 September 2015. Festival review. Grierson finds the film manipulative and heavy-handed, with its supposed moral complexity giving way to aggravating rhetoric. He praises the performances and suspense, but faults the contrived use of a child to heighten the stakes. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/eye-in-the-sky-review/5092889.article) ## Deadline — Pete Hammond Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 16 March 2016. Hammond gives the film a strongly enthusiastic verdict, calling it an entertaining and thought-provoking thriller. He especially praises Gavin Hood’s sustained, Hitchcockian suspense and the performances of Helen Mirren and Alan Rickman. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2016/03/eye-in-the-sky-review-helen-mirrens-drone-movie-gavin-hood-1201720939/) ## Polygon — Julia Alexander Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 11 March 2016. The critic finds the film tense, entertaining, and an effective conversation starter about drone warfare. She particularly praises Aaron Paul’s emotionally grounded performance and the film’s ability to dramatize debate through dialogue. [Read the review](https://www.polygon.com/2016/3/11/11200956/eye-in-the-sky-review-a-nail-biting-take-on-an-important-debate/) ## Collider — Adam Chitwood Rating B+. 11 March 2016. Festival review. Chitwood finds the film an engaging, intelligent thriller, though its melodramatic ending weakens the effect. He praises the tense exploration of drone-strike decision-making and the ensemble performances. [Read the review](https://collider.com/eye-in-the-sky-review-helen-mirren/) ## Paste — Christine N. Ziemba Rating 7.9/10. 9 March 2016. Ziemba finds the film a smart, taut thriller offering welcome moral complexity, though its Western perspective limits the story. She praises the suspenseful examination of bureaucratic decision-making and singles out Barkhad Abdi’s performance as captivating. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/article/eye-in-the-sky) ## Eye for Film — Angus Wolfe Murray Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 4 April 2016. The critic praises the film as a taut drama that keeps its premise simple and opens a debate about responsibility in modern warfare. He singles out its execution for praise, though he says Helen Mirren does not fit the role. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/eye-in-the-sky-2015-film-review-by-angus-wolfe-murray) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 11 March 2016. The review finds the film a tight, captivating thriller, though its bureaucratic delays can be infuriating. It singles out the tense ethical debate and the clever surveillance technology as especially compelling. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/eye-in-the-sky-review-helen-mirren-alan-rickman/) ## Consequence — Dominick Suzanne-Mayer Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 19 March 2016. The critic finds Eye in the Sky an effective, morally complex thriller about the costs of drone warfare. Its tense build-up and attention to the human consequences of a strike stand out, while the barbed satire is less successful. [Read the review](https://consequence.net/2016/03/film-review-eye-in-the-sky/) ## HeyUGuys Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). The critic finds the film compelling and entertaining, though not entirely original. They praise its moral tension and grounded character details, while faulting generic storytelling and manipulative music. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/eye-in-the-sky-review/) ## The Playlist Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 16 September 2015. Festival review. The review text is unavailable, so its verdict cannot be established. No specific element praised or criticized is accessible. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/tiff-review-eye-in-the-sky-starring-helen-mirren-aaron-paul-alan-rickman-and-barkhad-abdi-20150916/) ## Den of Geek — Edward Douglas Rating 3/5. 10 March 2016. Douglas finds the thriller’s tension undermined by repetitive discussions and too much talking. He praises the ground-level scenes in Kenya for making the situation feel more personal. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/eye-in-the-sky-review/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/eye-in-the-sky.md