Eye in the Sky

Eye in the Sky follows Colonel Katherine Powell, a British military intelligence officer directing a secret operation against terrorists in Nairobi, Kenya. What begins as a capture mission changes when surveillance reveals that the targets are preparing a suicide bombing, and the objective shifts to killing them instead. American drone pilot Steve Watts is poised to strike when a young girl enters the area, leaving military commanders and politicians in London and Washington to weigh the consequences of pressing ahead.

The film was directed by Gavin Hood, his fifth feature after Tsotsi, Rendition, X-Men Origins: Wolverine and Ender's Game, from a screenplay by Guy Hibbert. Helen Mirren plays Powell, with Aaron Paul as Watts, Alan Rickman as Lieutenant General Frank Benson and Barkhad Abdi as Jama Farah among a credited cast of 72. Producers included Colin Firth, David Lancaster and Ged Doherty, and the production, made in the United Kingdom, cost about 13 million dollars.

Released in 2015, the film took roughly 19 million dollars worldwide against its budget, a modest return. Audiences received it well: it holds 7.3 out of 10 on IMDb from more than 90,000 votes and 7 out of 10 on TMDB. A critics' rating of 7.6 out of 10 from 222 reviews places it slightly above the audience scores, suggesting broad professional approval for its handling of its subject.