Is Eye in the Sky white knuckle with some chuckle? That is, as the red tape widens and the plot thickens, does humor subtly infiltrate to redirect the tone of the film? Let’s delve.

There is no doubting the nature of the picture; drone surveillance, anti-terrorism and warfare. Serious stuff. However, an element of satire arises as the film progresses. Now, by no means does Charlie Sheen appear and say, “Are too times ten”, but there are certainly moments where you wonder if Hood is using reality or parody to tell the story.

Case in point, the British Foreign Secretary, speaking at a Singapore conference with the acronym I.B.S., succumbs to sudden intestinal issues. And, as the decision to strike is bounced back and forth within the chains of command, the U.S. Secretary of State is contacted during a pig-pong match in China. These are slight comic interludes but certainly enough to modify the tenor of the picture.

Eye in the Sky is an intelligent film with insight and solid acting. We respectfully say goodbye to the great Alan Rickman with 3.94 napkins out of 5 and two rolls of parchment.