Red Eye/The Transporter 2

Another study in contrasts:

Red Eye

It is a credit to the skill of the filmmakers that they can make this 85 minute film seem longer than it is, and derive such suspense from a thin, "been there, done that" premise.

The director is Wes Craven, and there a lot of Scream-esque moments.

Without Rachel McAdams and Cillian Murphy, I doubt this would have worked so well. McAdams may be too pretty for the role, though- I spent a good amount of time admiring her hair when I should have been paying atention to the plot. Is that a sign of weakness on the filmmakers part, good marketing, or the fact that I don't have a girlfriend?

Brian Cox, who usually plays the villain, is seen here in the thankless role of the threatened father.

The Transporter 2

Although I have come to appreicate the first Transporter, on intial viewing I like this one better. It moves more smoothly, and is directed a bit better, with the exception of a few visual tics that I did not like.

There's this scene where the female nemesis (who inexplicably struts around naked or near-naked during most of the film) says to Frank, "I'm going to kill you -for pleasure. My life is all about pleasure." (Or something like that.) This line kind of opens up the opportunity for a meditation of the futility of seeking pleasure in contrast to finding contentment and experiencing joy. But the filmmakers are just making a "movie", intended for quick consumption by mindless masses, not "art". The elements are there for a good artistic action film, I really wish they hadn't been so lazy.

I have recently been noticing this about thrillers lately, that the less they concentrate on characters, and the more they depend on whatever the "gimmick" of the film is, the less they stand up to repeated viewings.

And in that sense, the original Transporter was a better film.