REVIEW: Helen Mirren in "Eye in the Sky"

Helen Mirren heads up a potent ensemble cast in director Gavin Hood’s cinematic, systematic breakdown of a drone strike Eye in the Sky.

Mirren is a British colonel calling the plays to assassinate high-level terrorists before they can execute a suicide bombing. But at every step she needs approval from a general in London — played by the late, great Alan Rickman — who in turn is consulting with high-level politicians. Meanwhile, Mirren must also coordinate with American intelligence, a spy on the ground in Kenya, and the drone operator, played by Aaron Paul of Breaking Bad fame. The film’s drama, which is already exciting as the action jumps from location to location, skyrockets when an innocent child appears in the kill zone. THE WORD: What follows is a nail-biting and complex look at the morality of violence and the cost of human life. COMING TO: Theaters