Red Eye sees Craven once again try to distance himself from his 'horror maestro' reputation, this time by helming a crime thriller. Red Eye was a topical film in a post-9/11 world, as it depicted a terrorist trying to force a woman into an assassination attempt while on-board a late night flight. It's brisk (85 minutes) and doesn't have a tonne of bells and whistles, but Red Eye gets the job done, getting you invested in the plight of Rachel McAdams' character. Cillian Murphy gives a great performance as the truly detestable villain. By the time of the film's climax, the nails are well and truly bitten. Red Eye was a welcomed hit for Craven after helming box-office bomb Cursed, released earlier that year. It made almost $100 million at the box-office and the critics were kind to it, too, something which didn't happen to Craven all that often during his career. It's a fun watch if you want to see Craven do something different than straight horror. (but don't bother with the sugary-sweet Meryl Street-starring drama Music from the Heart - it really is rather naff)
