Respond to these rapid questions in our Eye In The Sky quiz and we will tell you which Eye In The Sky character you are. Play it now.
It’s not often that a scene in a film lives up to the billing of “priceless,” but “Eye in the Sky” by Gavin Hood has one that absolutely nails it. It happens quite late in the story, which centers on multiple groups of military and government personnel trying to decide whether or not to launch a drone strike that will almost certainly result in civilian casualties. This plot point comes up quite a bit.
Despite the fact that the potential victims are Al-Shabaab militants in Nairobi, Kenya, the people who will decide their fate are dispersed across the world and are observing their prey through high-altitude surveillance drones that are hovering above the safe house where the bad guys are hiding. The fact that this is a British operation is, however, the most important thing to note here. Although members of the United States military stationed at a base in Las Vegas will be responsible for the launch of the Hellfire missiles, if they are used at all, those who are making the decision as to whether or not to use them are primarily located at Whitehall in London and a military base in Sussex.
The idea of “referring up” is what causes the decision-making process to drag out for such an excruciatingly long time. When it comes to making decisions, the various political and military officials that we keep an eye on always conclude that they do not have the authority to do so, and then they “refer up” to their superiors. In the end, this process even extends across international borders. After the British Foreign Secretary came to the conclusion that he was unable to make a decision because one of the targets was an American national who had become radicalized, the ball was kicked to the United States Secretary of State, Michael O’Keefe. The movie begins with him competing in a ping pong tournament in China, and the Secretary of State gives his approval right away. Then, the priceless moment arrives, which consists of a look or gesture from him that effectively says, “Those Brits, what a bunch of wusses.”
But you shouldn’t waste any more time and start this Eye In The Sky quiz.
It is a brilliant touch on several levels, though it is possible that not all of those levels were intended. The scene touches on the ambivalence that some viewers, particularly Americans, may have regarding “Eye in the Sky,” and while it does convey something about the differences in personality between the United States and the United Kingdom, it also conveys something about the very different policies that the United States and the United Kingdom have regarding the use of lethal drone strikes (in this case, in a country that is not hostile). As a matter of fact, despite the fact that Hood’s movie, which is based on a script written by Guy Hibbert, is an expertly crafted and frequently engrossing thriller about an essential topical issue, it is also marred by the innate frustrations that are associated with any drama that focuses more on the characters than the acting. One possible moniker for this phenomenon is “Britain Dithers.”
The primary reason for the indecision is one that would have pleased D.W. Griffith. In order to track several “high value” terrorist operatives to that house in Nairobi, which is located in a bustling and densely populated suburb, multiple types of intelligence are utilized. Back in Sussex, Lt. Colonel Katherine Powell (Helen Mirren, who is fantastic as always), who has been following one of the terrorists for years, is about to order a strike against him. But back at Whitehall, Lt. General Frank Benson (played by the late Alan Rickman, in memory of whom the movie is dedicated) is surrounded by wavering politicians who are horrified when they see, via drone, a cute little girl selling bread right in front of the house that is going to be bombed.
Eye In The Sky Quiz
As the British people have just witnessed, the terrorists are not simply huddling together inside the house at this time. They are prepared to take their own lives and have a few suicide vests on hand. According to the assessments of various specialists, the use of these weapons could result in the deaths of up to eighty individuals. Does this mean that the parties responsible are willing to take the risk of losing one little girl (and possibly other civilians) in order to avoid the possibility of eighty deaths? Or not?
Also, you will find out which character are you in this Eye In The Sky quiz.
All of the recent evidence suggests that the presumptive American response to that would quickly put an end to the life of the little girl. That response is obviously not the most morally defensible one, but it does lead to another question: Do the British really dither in such a way, to an almost ridiculous degree (if they are morally punctilious and/or politically paranoid)? Or is what we are witnessing here the result of liberal wishful thinking that has been given a dramatic form?
The following is a common issue with movies of this genre: We don’t just want excitement in the treatment of this topic because it’s such a potent and contentious issue; rather, we want clarification and illumination because of this. The question is, how much of what we see here is accurate and based on facts, and how much of it is just dramatic license? (There is no question that the extensive use of the little girl ends up constituting sentimental overkill of the most egregious kind; the film’s end-credits sequence, in particular, is the worst mistake I’ve seen in a movie in months.) If we take everything into consideration, wouldn’t it be more effective to treat the topic of drone warfare with a well-reported documentary rather than with a drama that raises questions of accuracy throughout its entirety?
About the quiz
Also, you must try to play this Eye In The Sky quiz.
As an aside, certain technological issues might make other viewers curious and prompt them to ask questions. In the movie, we see two examples of mini-drones that are used for surveillance: one that resembles a bird flies up to the windows of the house, and another that is the size of a hummingbird goes inside the house and perches on the rafters. Both of these examples take place in the same scene. Is it possible that these things are true? (The film’s press notes give the impression that they are currently being developed but have not yet been implemented. The primary issue is the duration of the battery life.)
In the same week that “Eye in the Sky” premieres, it was reported that U.S. drone strikes killed 150 people in Somalia. Somalia is a country with which the United States is not at war, and the U.S. Congress has not authorized any military action against Somalia. Although it was reported that those who passed away were “terrorists,” there is no independent verification of this claim, as is the case with the majority of recent cases of this nature. Although the film by Hood doesn’t say much about American policy in this area, it does imply that the terrible topic will be with us for a very long time to come.
For more personality quizzes check this: Spotlight Quiz.
