Thrillers and Drones: Morality vs. The Greater Good in Eye in the Sky Directed by Gavin Hood and written by Guy Hibbert, the independent British film, Eye in the Sky, is a thriller which centers around the premise of assault drones. The film falls between multiple subgenres of thriller, with elements of war film and crime drama. Several relevant criteria factors into this kind of genre including political and technological themes, suspense narrative, and an unexpected conclusion. To rank the criteria in order of genre importance suspense would be foremost, followed by an unexpected conclusion, and lastly political and technological themes. Using the aforementioned criteria to evaluate Eye in the Sky illuminates the manner in which the film adheres to – or defies – genre tropes. Ultimately, Eye in the Sky is a relevant and emotionally challenging work of film mastery. …show more content…
Common subgenres include war films, political dramas, and spy or assassin films. Eye in the Sky borrows elements from the aforementioned categories, but adds realism and relevancy through the narrative of drone warfare. The primary tension is achieved through the growing complexity of the film, which revolves around whether or not the British government will kill one innocent girl via drone missile in order to eliminate a terrorist cell. The uncertainty as the question is tossed back and forth, subliminally highlighted by the looped drone footage of the girl creates both a disconnect from the impending tragedy as well as suspense in the ultimate conclusion. Cheshire states, “The concept that renders the decision-making so agonizingly protracted is called “referring up.” The various political and military officials we watch keep deciding they don’t have the authority to decide, so they “refer up” to their superiors. Eventually this process even crosses international boundaries” (Cheshire “Eye in the