‘Red Eye’ Series 1 Review – Not The Thrilling Highflyer It Wants To Be

Fear of flying is widespread, which is the perfect topic for filmmakers and series creators. We recently flew together with directors and creators such as Jean-François Richet (Plane), Sean McNamara (On a Wing and a Prayer) and George Kay and Jim Field Smith (Hijack) and now, it’s time for Peter A. Dowling and his cast and crew to provide us with in-flight entertainment. However, their Red Eye – which title refers to short-haul flights departing in the evening and arriving in the morning– isn’t the highflyer it wants to be. You can sit back and watch this series in one sitting or a weekend, but you better prepare yourself for underdeveloped characters and suspend-belief moments.

From The Stranger to Obsession and from Stay Close to Fool Me Once, Richard Armitage is the small-screen Dan Stevens, as he seems to be everywhere these days. This time, he’s taking on the role of Dr Matthew Nolan, who is being instantly arrested after arriving back in the UK from China. Badly wounded because of a nightclub stabbing and a terrible car crash, he’s informed that the daughter of a Party general was in his car when the crash happened. She wasn’t as lucky as Nolan and died.

Despite Nolan claiming his innocence as he can’t recall that she was with him during that faithful ride, he’s being escorted to the plane and China by no-bullshit officer DC Hana Li (Jing Lusi). If Nolan thinks he is in trouble and danger on the ground, wait until he’s in the air because when the doors of Flight 357 close, his real problems begin.

And no, we don’t mean screaming children running around, much turbulence, or terrible food. We’re talking about murders, poisonous food, backstabbing, and cheating lovers. As an audience member, you’ll also face many problems but from a different calibre. You have to deal with cheap thrills and predictable and only-partly entertaining scenes. As one of the writers of the nerve-wracking Flightplan starring Jodie Foster and Peter Sarsgaard, Dowling should know how to create a suspenseful story that takes place in a plane. However, his latest work only partially makes a smooth landing. This is mainly because of the many underdeveloped storylines.

You don’t only follow the events unfolding high in the sky but also down on the ground as many more people are involved in what’s going on. Journalist Jess (Jemma Moore), Li’s half-sister, uses Nolan’s unusual extradition for her breakthrough article, while Madeline Delaney (Lesley Sharp), head of MI5, is keeping a close eye on this flight to avoid both national and international conflicts. The many subplots that are part of those storylines – people destroying classified documents, power-hungry men finally showing their true nature, or dark political games – feel too exhaustive. Less would have definitely been more in this series as fewer but much more developed and thought-out storylines could have taken Red Eye to higher heights.

The only positive side of the narrative going into overdrive is that we get to see many cast members passing by, of whom the majority give beautiful performances. While Armitage might be a bit sick of portraying the mysterious, handsome stranger with a vital job, he still portrays Nolan with as much personality and intrigue as the underexplored writing allows him. There are moments when you certainly believe in his character’s innocence. However, when his mysteriousness takes over, you might start to doubt your view of the events.

Just like in Obsession, a headstrong and determined woman overclasses Armitage. This time, it’s Lusi who shines in the lead role. Her character’s pro-activeness and determination bring much-needed energy and enthusiasm to this series. Whenever she gets up to go through the aircraft on the lookout for something out of place or bloody, you know something interesting is coming up. The Crazy Rich Asians actress impeccably shows us the rough-though side of Li, but also the more emotional one. No matter how objective you should be as a police officer, sometimes emotions can get in the way of the job. While these strong emotions could be a character that could prevent Li from fulfilling her duty in the best way possible, it adds a layer to her personality, which isn’t bad, considering that many of the characters lack that.

One of those characters is Delaney, resulting in a miscast and underused Sharp (The Full Monty, Catherine Called Birdy). During the more political-loaded scenes, especially the ones between her and Jonathan Aris (Sherlock, The Sixth Commandment), we see glimpses of her great acting coming through. However, when you see what a far-fetched and totally unnecessary subplot the writers have for her, you’ll notice that the quality of her performance decreases immensely.

Red Eye wants to be this year’s Hijack. Still, instead of becoming a thrilling and on-the-edge-of-your-seat series, it’s an unimaginative and only sporadically entertaining work. Luckily, the formidable Lusi and Armitage ensure the series is watchable enough.

Red Eye is now available on ITV1 and ITVX courtesy of ITV. Details for a North American release have not been revealed at this time.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1CBIEYoYFk]