Having made a film about a youth gang leader in Johannesburg
(Tsotsi, winner of the 2006 Oscar for Best Foreign Film), a questionable
interrogation process used by the United States (Rendition), a rogue
superhero (X-Men Origins: Wolverine) and a child prodigy whose psychic
abilities are corrupted by the military (Ender’s Game), one would think that
there’s nary a thematic thread running through the work of director Gavin Hood.
However, the protagonists in these disparate movies are all pushed to the edge,
each forced to make moral decisions that will not only impact themselves and
those around them, but have a ripple effect that will affect them and their
respective societies long into the future.
Hood’s latest work, Eye in the Sky is no different. Looking at the nature of modern warfare, the
film unfolds in four separate locations – a military center in Surrey, England,
a high-level cabinet meeting in London, a drone command outpost in Las Vegas
and a hot zone in Nairobi. What with no soldiers on the ground and any
destruction being done remotely through drones, this brand of combat has a far
less visceral, more sterile feel about it. However, as the movie powerfully
points out, modern technology hasn’t succeeded in wiping out the emotional
impact those who do our dirty work must contend with.
In Chicago recently to promote the film, Hood sat down for a
long, wide-ranging conversation about the making of Eye and the talent he had
at his disposal to bring it to the screen. I asked the director if he had any
cooperation with the British Armed Forces in the making of the movie.
Surprisingly, he said, “Well, we have to show them the script to make sure that
there’s nothing in it that’s inaccurate,” he said. “They didn’t object to
anything that was there. But what was really eye opening is when we spoke to
drone and F-16 pilots who are still serving. They gave us insight as to what
really happens in these life-or-death situations that was invaluable,
especially where the cast was concerned, particularly Aaron Paul.”
The Breaking Bad alum plays Steve Watts, an American pilot
who has the final say-so where dropping the drone’s payload is concerned, as
the simple search-and-apprehend mission he’s involved with escalates to one in
which his aircraft’s explosive payload must be deployed. The ethical battle he
struggles with, when he realizes many civilians will be killed or injured if
the drop is completed is just one of the many thorny moral issues the film
tackles. While there’s no question as to
the nature of the people being targeted – as they have criminal pasts and are
seen preparing for a potentially devastating terrorist attack – the price of
taking them out weighed against the collateral damage that would ensue is
something every one in the film’s chain of command must consider.
One of the most frustrating elements in Eye is seeing how
no one in the chain of command – or as it’s referred to now, “the kill chain”-
wants to take responsibility where making a final decision is concerned.
Everyone in the film refers to their superior until no one is left to ask. I asked Hood about this, saying I had never
seen this portrayed in a film before. “We live in such a different age in which
there’s greater connectivity. Everyone
is under the microscope right now. Everyone
is watching what the other person is doing and no one wants to end up holding
the bag. It is remarkably frustrating
but in situations like this we need as many oversights as we can get so that
the truth of what happens is apparent.
It really is a double-edged sword.”
In addition to Paul, Hood’s cast included Helen Mirren as
Colonel Katherine Powell, who is spearheading the operation, and Alan Rickman
in one of his final roles as Lt. General Frank Benson, her liaison with the
Secretary of Defense and ultimately the Prime Minister. When I asked about working with such talented
veterans, the director pointed out that Mirren’s role was originally written
for a man. “I didn’t want to turn this into another war movie where it comes
off as just a boy’s club. And with Mirren, she brings such strength yet
subtlety to everything that she does that I knew that she would be able to
convey the character’s rapidly changing emotions in a kind of shorthand that
would be apropos of a person who had devoted her life to the military. Not only is she immensely talented, but I
hope that her presence will broaden the appeal of the movie to a broader
audience. I want this film to appeal to both men and women.”
As for Rickman, Hood said, “You know with performers like
Helen and Alan, you really just step back and let them work. We were so lucky to have him on the film and
I was honored to work with a man of his talent.
He had a sense of off-brand humor that was so disarming and he was so
crucial to this movie turning out as well as it did.”
While working with his cast may not have posed a challenge,
coordinating transitions between four distinct locations presented its own set
of difficulties. “What viewers won’t realize is that much of what they see
during Helen’s scenes were green screen effects,” he points out. “All of the
images she responds to regarding what’s happening at the mission’s location in
Kenya were put in latter so that’s another testament to her skill as an
actress. However, what I had to be
mindful of was keeping a certain consistent rhythm and pacing between the four settings,
as the whole point was to build suspense.
Yes, I want to make a point with the film but I also want to have your
heart racing and get viewers to the edge of their seats.”
Eye in the Sky succeeds in both of these
arenas as it not only lays out the complexities of modern warfare without
casting dispersions in any one direction but it effectively puts the audience
in the shoes of each of its key protagonists, forcing us to contemplate what we
would do if we were in their situation. As Hood points out, “Drone pilots
suffer from twice the amount of PTSD than regular pilots because they’re forced
to examine what they’ve done.” Were those further up the kill chain required to
do the same, perhaps the call to strike with lethal force wouldn’t come as
easily or often.
This article appears in Mar 24-30, 2016.
