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1 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Woman files sexual harassment lawsuit against Ashland Elks ... As It Was: America Butler's diary a window into 'women's work' ... Council: No smoking, no blocking ... Woman files sexual harassment lawsuit against Ashland Elks ... As It Was: America Butler's diary a window into 'women's work' ... Council: No smoking, no blocking ... MOVIE REVIEW Riveting 'Eye in the Sky' shows war's detachment Comment By Chris Honoré for Revels DailyTidings.com By Chris Honoré for Revels Posted Apr. 21, 2016 at 12:01 AM By Chris Honoré for Revels Posted Apr. 21, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Social News Eye in the Sky; 102min; Rated R In many ways, the well-made and superbly acted “Eye in the Sky” is reassuring. But it can also be chillingly disconcerting. At the outset, it begins as a straightforward surveillance of a militant group associated with the East Africa terrorist organization Al Shabab then unexpectedly morphs into something far more serious and morally hazardous. What is initially being watched from 20,000 feet by an unseen, eerily quiet drone is a house in Nairobi, Kenya, where a meeting is taking place between highly placed Shabab leaders, to include a woman — a British citizen, who has aligned herself with the organization. The original plan is to raid the house and capture those inside. But using a cyborg beetle, an agent (Barkhad Abdi, who starred in the film “Captain Phillips”), is sitting outside on the street and using a control no larger than a cell phone, positions the small beetle with a miniaturized camera inside the house where it reveals that in another room several suicide bombers are preparing to put on explosive vests. The stakes for all concerned — Col. Katherine Powell (Helen Mirren), located in Surrey England, and Lt. General Frank Benson (Alan Rickman), who is in London with several British ministers and politicians — have suddenly changed. What was a “capture” is now suddenly reframed as a “kill.” The only question, both legal and moral, is what collateral damage within the circumference of the explosion will be sustained once the drone releases its hellfire missile? Complicating that question is the presence of a small girl, seated just outside the house at a table selling her mother’s homemade flatbread to passing locals. She is clearly within the kill zone. The pilot of the drone (Aaron Paul) is, remarkably, in Nevada. When he spots the girl, he asks for a review of all facets of the operation, to include legal and ethical concerns. And so the tension is continually ratcheted up. Powell and Benson argue that to delay could mean that the suicide bombers will leave and ultimately appear in a shopping mall, where perhaps hundreds of innocents will be maimed or killed. This reality is weighed against the life of that one little girl. Others argue for delay as the decision is “referred up.” No civilian in the room with the lieutenant general wants to take final responsibility. As it turns out, across four continents, involving ministers and secretaries of state, the “kill” decision is incrementally postponed. The reality that confronts those involved, to include the pilot of the drone, is the proverbial rock and the hard place. The debate is both agonizing and complex and riveting. What is done is done in our name (or in this case in the name of the British and the American people). Collateral damage is a euphemism that is laden with horrible, unintended consequences. And to make the moment even more dreadful is that it has a video game quality to it — warfare at its most detached. This is an intense and rare military meditation on war that focuses not on the battle but on the choices that we ask our military personnel to make as they conduct this most lethal form of warfare. To its credit, the film avoids becoming a melodrama, while still examining very effectively the moral quandary that we can only hope our soldiers and officials confront with each “kill” order. “Eye in the Sky” is taut and well-constructed and highly recommended. By Chris Honoré for Revels DailyTidings.com By Chris Honoré for Revels Posted Apr. 21, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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