‘Red Eye’ worth catching

It’s tempting to overrate “Red Eye,” simply because the film is so refreshingly simple, straightforward and efficient. Short, too: This thriller clocks in at under 90 minutes, without a moment wasted.

Let’s just say that “Red Eye” is extremely satisfying, and needs no excessive praise. By the way, if you like your thrillers unexpected, you might want to stop reading reviews and just go check it out – although experienced movie-goers will see the threats right away (they’re spelled out in the commercials, too).

The ingenious script by Carl Ellsworth is one of those paint-yourself-in-a-corner jobs: Most of the film takes place inside a 767 on its way from Dallas to Miami. A do-everything hotel manager, Lisa (Rachel McAdams), finds herself seated next to a charming fellow with the ominous name of Jackson Rippner (Cillian Murphy).

The charm fades quickly when Jackson informs Lisa that he and his fellow conspirators plan to assassinate a Department of Homeland Security official at the Miami hotel Lisa runs. Jackson’s got Lisa’s father under the gun, and threatens to kill him unless Lisa makes a call from the plane and gets the official switched to another, less secure room.

That’s the premise, and it’s so clean and clear that it survives even after the fun couple get off the airplane. A car chase and a high-tech rocket launch feel a little silly after the taut set-up, but by then we’re invested in Lisa’s resistance.

It’s good to report that “Red Eye” is one woman-in-peril movie where the woman in peril is capable of fighting back. There are some very gratifying moments here, not least because Lisa uses her brain to try to outmaneuver her tormentor (so many films rely on a main character doing stupid stuff just to keep the plot moving).

McAdams, who distinguished herself in the rather undistinguished circumstances of “Wedding Crashers,” is a smart, pretty actress who instantly grabs our sympathy. When a late revelation gives us further information about Lisa, it doesn’t feel like a gimmick, but a motivating factor for the intensity of her response.

Murphy, the unsettling Scarecrow from “Batman Begins,” is fittingly menacing as Jackson. His freaky blue eyes tip off the audience to his danger early on, perhaps too early. Brian Cox marks time effectively as Lisa’s confused dad, while Jayma Mays makes a darling impression as Lisa’s ditsy replacement at the hotel.

“Red Eye” is directed by Wes Craven, straying from his usual horror turf. Craven understands the clamped-down needs of a story like this, and he keeps us close to the faces of these two strangers on a plane. The result is a smooth ride.

Rachel McAdams has no way out when she is terrorized by her seatmate (Cillian Murphy) on the night flight to Miami in “Red Eye.”