The new movie Eagle Eye comes into theaters with the lowest of expectations...and because it's able to catch audiences off-guard, it surely delivers some unexpectedly pleasant surprises.

     While not a perfect film, Eagle Eye ponies up far more than it should: solid acting across the board, a story which stretches credibility just a bit yet remains believable, and some killer lines that will stick with you well after the movie's done. It's a shame the movie's been tossed into the first week of winter, pre-Oscar season when the "serious" pictures come out instead of this past summer where it should have settled, because it probably would have done better then at the box office than it will in its current slot.

     And Eagle Eye definitely deserves to do better.

     Jerry Shaw(Shia LaBeouf) is a slacker eking out a loser's existence working in a copy shop and unable to pay his land-lady the full amount each month. He's delivered a hard blow one day when his successful twin brother Ethan(also played by LaBeouf in flashbacks) dies unexpectedly. Jerry exchanges some harsh words with his father(the always excellent William Sadler) at the funeral, and receives another shock upon returning home to find his apartment filled with poison, explosives, guns and other items from Terrorists 'R' Us. Jerry then receives a call from a mystery woman who warns him the FBI are on their way and that he needs to evacuate the premises. He doesn't and gets arrested as the agents blow his windows in to reach him.

     Meanwhile, Rachel Holloman(Michelle Monaghan), a single mom who has sent her son off on a train to play trumpet with his class at a recital in Washington, receives a phone call from the same mystery woman, who informs her that if Rachel doesn't comply with her exact directions, her son's train will be derailed. Soon enough, Rachel picks up an unregistered car with keys in it, and is picking up Jerry, who with the unknown woman's help, has escaped from the FBI, in particular an interrogation by Agent Thomas Morgan(Billy Bob Thornton). Joined by Navy Special Agent Zoe Perez(Rosario Dawson), Morgan and a batch of agents and police give chase, only to be thwarted by the phone woman's machinations, as she is able to manipulate traffic lights to favor Rachel and Jerry's getaway car, and enable automated cranes to crush the police cars chasing them.

     At first, the whole "we are everywhere, we control every-thing" premise of Eagle Eye felt a little bit too much like the over-the-top shenanigans of Live Free or Die Hard's villain. Yet when the identity of the mastermind is revealed, it makes sense to a degree. While this twist is something that's been done in a few notable films I won't mention here for fear of giving it away, there's an additional twist dating back to the beginning of the film wherein the Secretary of Defense's(Michael Chiklis) ignored warnings to the President against firing on a suspected-yet-not-fully-identified terrorist and his cabal brings about this attempt at retribution. It's this second twist which makes the reveal of the phone woman's identity worth the time spent.

     Well then again, there are other things which make the time pass swiftly as well. For one thing, the performances by every actor in the film are rock solid. I've never really cared for either Thornton(Monster's Ball, Mr. Woodcock) or LaBeouf(Disturbia, Indiana Jones and the Abominably Long Movie Title), but with the swift quips Thornton masterfully lobs at all who annoy him and an above-average emotionally stirring performance by LaBeouf(who exchanges his "nonono" routine for "gogogo"), I'm forced to reevaluate any prior judgments I may have made against either actor, especially LaBeouf.

     Although not given terribly much to do, Michael Chiklis(The Shield, the godawful Fantastic Four films, poor bastard) makes the most he can of his role as the Secretary of Defense: he's forthright, moral and loyal to his administration, even as the mystery woman offers him power beyond his imagining. Rosario Dawson(Sin City, the "Death Proof" segment of Grindhouse) isn't given much more to do than play adversary to Thornton's Morgan in the beginning, and do some mild running from enemy forces towards the film's end, but she also manages to make the most out of her role as an intelligent, capable agent dedicated to rooting out the source of the evil.

     The script by writers John Glenn(Drift, The Lazarus Project), Travis Wright(the upcoming The Warriors remake), Hillary Seitz(Early Bird Special, Insomnia) and Dan McDermott(Angela's Eyes, the upcoming Charlie Chan) is sharp-witted, clever and rises just a bit over the standard fare for its genre of thriller. Even though the script does ask you to forgive a lot and suspend your disbelief quite a bit at the mystery woman's ability to reach out to so many diverse people and force them to aid Jerry and Rachel as they race toward an unknown destination and an uncertain fate, as I said it makes more sense when the identity of the terrorist is revealed. The direction by D.J. Caruso(Taking Lives, Two for the Money) is assured for the most part, although it falters a bit in the chop-chop editing of the initial chase scene, which is delivered at such a pace of brisk editing that it can't fully be appreciated. To Caruso's credit though, the film never really slows down for a moment: there is always the threat of the ticking clock, a need to meet the terrorist's timetable, and the threat to the two central characters, Jerry and Rachel, is palpable.

     If there is any one true fault with the film, it's that the ending is a little too pat, too wrapped up in a nice neat ribbon. A major character that should die doesn't, and the menace is averted and passes by a little too easily, which robs the heroes of a true victory.

     These faults notwithstanding, Eagle Eye does in fact deliver the goods: it's a solid two hours of entertainment that adds up to just a bit more than the sum of its parts. This is one movie you as a moviegoer should keep an eye on.