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Fear of flying takes new meaning in 'Red Eye'

"Red Eye" is a nifty thriller that plays like B-movie blast from the past. But director Wes Craven deftly draws on the terror of the present to develop its pitch-perfect tension — as the movie's heroine, doe-eyed Rachel McAdams, is trapped in the window seat of a commercial jet by a very bad man, wickedly handsome Cillian Murphy.

Dreamworks SKG 'Red Eye' B The verdict: Wes Craven gives new, B-movie meaning to "fear of flying." Director: Wes Craven Starring: Rachel McAdams, Cillian Murphy, Brian Cox, Jack Scalia, Jayma Mays Run time: 85 minutes Release date: August 19, 2005 Rating: PG-13 for some intense sequences of violence, and language. See showtimes On the web Official movie site View the trailer    Trailers require Quicktime [an error occurred while processing this directive]

Craven may be best known for his sly slasher films ("A Nightmare on Elm Street," "Scream"). But he shows that subtler suspense can be shaped from some of those same menacing elements, even if the pace is a little slower and the scares much more real. And while the script, by TV writer Carl Ellsworth ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer"), has plenty of gaps, the steadily mounting pace makes suspension of disbelief easy enough — right through to the riveting, revengeful ending.

Judging from her performances in last year's teary "The Notebook," and this summer's naughty smash, "Wedding Crashers," McAdams is a young actress with a lot of range. She uses it in "Red Eye," playing Lisa Reisert, the manager of a Miami luxury hotel, who presents the pretty face of a people pleaser. But Reisert has a secret scar, as well as a hidden talent for wielding a field hockey stick.

With his striking, Irish features, Murphy ("28 Days Later," "Batman Begins") is splendid as a silver-tongued charmer, named Jackson Ripner — who, it turns out, is the maniacal linchpin in a conspiracy to kill the deputy secretary of Homeland Security.

How and why Ripner involves Reisert in the plan is a serviceable plot device. What makes it crackle is the chemistry between McAdams and Murphy, which begins as a coy flirtation and ends in tooth and nail combat.

Even better is the way Craven uses our current collective fear of flying. All the little disturbances airline passengers endure everyday, from bothersome flight delays to nerve-racking turbulence, are mere distractions. The real horror comes when we least expect it.