Red Eye

On a red-eye from Washington to Miami, Lisa Reisert, a hotel executive, finds herself seated next to a polished stranger whose sly charm hides a deadly purpose. He reveals a plan to carry out a political assassination and makes her a lever to pull it off. If she resists, he hints that her father will suffer consequences. With the plane slicing through the night and time slipping away, Lisa must improvise under constant threat, trying to warn the targeted victims and outsmart the ruthless conspirator before the trap closes. Craven builds suspense with tight shots and a humming jet, leaning on timing and misdirection rather than spectacle to keep the tension personal.

Directed by Wes Craven and written by Carl Ellsworth and Dan Foos, Red Eye arrived in 2005 with a budget of 26 million and a lean script, signaling Craven's shift toward taut location suspense, featuring Rachel McAdams and Cillian Murphy.

Red Eye helped crystallize a subgenre of high tension thrillers set almost entirely in one location, showing that solid acting and shrewd pacing can outpace spectacle. McAdams and Murphy deliver uneasy chemistry, and the film is often cited for its resourceful use of limited space.

Critics generally praised the film for its brisk pacing and Craven's restrained direction, highlighting the moral tightrope Lisa walks under pressure. The tale explores themes of vulnerability in a security conscious age and how fear can prompt quick, high stakes decisions.