BOTTOM LINE: This is a stupid, ridiculous film. The action is well done, fast paced and frenetic, and the cast are likeable enough, but these parts can't cover over the fact that the film is completely ridiculous.

THE GOOD: Spy thrillers, at least in terms of their core ideas, always have a way of fascinating us with their almost other-worldly lifestyle of intrigue, suspense and danger that make the whole endeavour attractive to enter. "Eagle Eye" is another film in this vein and has elements of the spy genre that can pique your interest. The central core of the idea is an intelligent machine which is plugged in to every electronic device in America, having the capacity to spy on anyone at any time. The machine ends up picking out two civilians, Jerry Shaw (Shia LaBeouf) and Rachel Holloman (Michelle Monaghan), forcing them to play a game of cat and mouse with the FBI and military, but always keeping them one step ahead in a plan to destroy the American government. There are many solid themes at play here, the most obvious being the terrorism overtones and how much are we willing to sacrifice our personal freedom and privacy to ensure our safety. The cast in this film are quite likeable. Shia LaBeouf and Michelle Monaghan are very strong in the leads, with Billy Bob Thornton and Rosario Dawson delivering effective supporting roles. The action is the undeniable strength of this film; the pace does not let up very much throughout the running time. A well conceived sequence occurs during a chase in an airline baggage sorting facility at an airport where Jerry and Rachel are pursued by Agent Morgan (Thornton) but have to weave their way through the sorting machines, giving an almost maze-like quality to the scene. It wouldn't be an action film without car chases and this film has plenty of them. If there's one thing about "Eagle Eye", you won't be bored by the action on offer.

THE BAD: "Eagle Eye" is completely ridiculous. The filmmakers have squarely focused their attention on the action to the point where they're hoping you'll miss the massive gaping holes in story logic. Take for example how all the terrorist equipment appears in Jerry's apartment, which starts the whole ball rolling. Jerry arrives home with his landlord telling him that strange men have been delivering boxes all day to his apartment. Rather than question it with her, he shoves her off and locks himself in the apartment and looks shocked at what he's seeing. This also conveniently allows him to have his first conversation with "Eagle Eye" on his mobile phone. There are many moments like this and the film tries to explain this away by telling us that Jerry isn't all that smart but you'd think even someone with only half a brain would be able to behave smarter than that. If that wasn't enough, there's the machine at the heart of Eagle Eye which is yet another riff on Hal from 2001 and ends up being a silly gimmick that belongs more in a sci-fi parody than in a film trying to be a spy thriller. The problem in the end is that other films have covered this territory much better, most recently being the Will Smith starrer "Enemy of the State". If the filmmakers of "Eagle Eye" had paid more attention to developing the paranoia inherent in the concept for this story and its effect on the characters, as well as the logic of the story and character motivations, they just might have had something; but as it stands, this film is ridiculous and is only watchable for the action.