Rachel McAdams: A Girl's Girl

Ask me my favorite movie of last year (go on, ask!) and I'll say Red Eye. It's the tight airplane thriller by Wes Craven starring Cillian Murphy and everyone's lady of the moment, Rachel McAdams. Most folks thought it was a nice B-movie white knuckler, simply and aptly done, but I say it's more than that.

(fF you haven't seen it, maybe you shouldn't read the rest.)

It's of course a pure and simple "female empowerment picture," so clearly laid out that it inhabits the same home with with the best of the B-movie "message" flicks and every third Lifetime Channel MOW. Rachel M's character, Lisa Reisert, is successful, pleasant, and easygoing, a people pleaser but clearly capable running her life. While Cillian M's terrorist character is trying to use her to enable an attack on the director of homeland security at the hotel Lisa manages, she must summon up the ability to fight back. The same ability to fend off 'evil' that never came to her rescue when, as she says around the third act, she was assualted in broad daylight two years prior.

Easy to connect the dots: Her anxiety and helplessness from the assault will be resolved if she can kick this guy's ass. And she does--not just him, but another attacker, and she thwarts a terrorist attack, and she tells off two obnoxious hotel patrons. And yes, it's a very clear, uncomplicated redemption for this character, but for a 80 minute thrill ride, that's all you need.

Crucial to the success of Red Eye's ability to convey this message of empowerment is McAdam's performance. Her eyes definitely tell a story, and yes that's corny, but so few actresses can do this; and in a neat, spare-no-words thriller like this one, it's vital to see every machine whirring in her brain. Her vulnerability, quiet resolve, and her ease with the sometimes obvious dialogue keeps this "b-movie" first in its class.

Cillian Murphy is excellent as well, providing the perfect foil to the archtypical type-A "too nice" character of Lisa.

It's the perfect role for McAdams, one every woman watching should treasure. She uses her wits and her muscles to fight back, all in heels. And she's one of the few actresses out there who is not only glamorous, but also seems like she wouldn't bore you to tears if you met her, or annoy you, or come off as completely flaky. She's centered and grounded, while most other actresses out there seem to look down on us. It's clear she's the actress of the moment with total staying power.