Lisa Reisert (Rachel McAdams) is catching the Red-Eye home to Miami from Dallas. She’s just attended her grandmother’s funeral, and as usual, the flight is continually delayed. She keeps bumping into a nice looking fella named Jackson Rippner (Cillian Murphy). They drink, chat, banter and flirt until eventually it is time to board the flight and head home. As it turns out, they’re sitting right next to each other! She finds out, too late, that none of this is really coincidence at all.

I had high hopes for this film since the thriller genera has held little interested for me since Wes Craven’s The Serpent and the Rainbow, a film that has kept me away from Jamaica (or even New Orleans for that matter) to this very day. Craven manages to take this film a long way towards re-capturing some of the glory of the old days.

But the story itself little too “back to basics” to be all that interesting even though it sports some fine acting, good directing and a short runtime, which makes up for any lack of innovation. At 85 minutes the movie just doesn’t give you time to get bored and Cillian Murphy is as creepy a guy as you can hope for. Too bad for the sad play on his name though, I think I might have an ass beating waiting around here somewhere for the writer. My first introduction to Murphy was just recently as The Scarecrow in Batman Begins and then, as now, when his hollow crystal blue eyes lock onto their victim you can only imagine the horrors that dwell within.

Rachel McAdams who’s having a good month, since she also stars in Wedding Crashers, plays a very good “everywoman” in both films. She doesn’t play anyone who’s all that exceptional and although she’s plenty attractive and seems to be a fine actress, I think that “not exceptional” pretty much sums up her career.

In his film, Craven really makes the airport setting work. For the first 1/2 hour, it actually felt like I was stuck waiting for a delayed flight somewhere, the movie just sort of languished around not really going anywhere; the result was a feeling that left me uncomfortable, stiff and maybe a little antsy. Then the action begins. In the plane itself, which is another area of great discomfort – pressurized, nowhere to go, uncomfortable seats and bad food. It seems as if the movie really wants to get on your bad side (just as Jackson starts to get on Lisa’s). We also get some uncomfortable exchanges: people getting smacked around and then, like Lisa, we come to realize that there is no escape. We’re stuck and will have to ride it out until the end. The end is nothing but car chases, running, fighting and shooting - which feels pretty good after being cooped up in coach for far too long.

If you’re really up for a thriller or even an awkward plane ride, you could do worse. Probably one of the better films of the genre that I’ve seen in a while, it gives me hope that some good directors still exist in Hollywood, even if the writers seem to be permanently on strike or, even worse, are more interested in doing Dukes of Hazzard remakes.

Dave can be reached at dkerr@detroitbuzz.com .