If you’ve worked your way through the exhilarating gangster drama MobLand and have already enrolled in The Thursday Murder Club – we’ve uncovered a hidden Helen Mirren gem called Eye In The Sky that you're going to want to watch next. The superb drama sees her star as a military officer caught in the middle of an impossible moral crisis – and it’s Helen Mirren at her best.
The drama begins with a dramatic military operation in Nairobi, Kenya, with an imminent deadly terrorist attack about to launch. Joined by Lieutenant General Frank Benson (Alan Rickman) and with intelligence from on-the-ground undercover agent Jama Farah (Barkhad Abdi), a race-against-the-clock then follows. They face mounting pressure to act – but, should they launch the drone knowing it could put the life of a civilian at risk?
With the series available to stream this week, here’s everything you need to know about Eye In The Sky, including the plot, cast and how to watch it.
What is Eye In The Sky about?
The nail-biting war thriller, which first aired in 2016, introduces us to Colonel Katherine Powell (Helen Mirren) who’s a military officer based in the UK leading a top-secret drone mission to capture terrorists in Nairobi, Kenya. However, the plan takes a dramatic turn from capture to kill when they learn the group is preparing suicide bombers for an attack that could murder dozens of civilians.
The pressure mounts as military officials, politicians and lawyers debate whether they can ethically launch the attack. Lieutenant General Frank Benson (Alan Rickman) becomes increasingly frustrated with the hesitation to act, while American pilot Steve Watts is left in turmoil when nine-year-old Alia enters the strike zone to sell bread.
Who’s in the cast of Eye In The Sky?
The cast of Eye In The Sky includes:
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- Helen Mirren (The Good Liar) as Colonel Katherine Powell
- Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad) as Steve Watts
- Alan Rickman (Love Actually, Harry Potter) as Lieutenant General Frank Benson
- Barkhad Abdi (Captain Phillips) as Jama Farah
- Iain Glen (Jack Taylor, The Rig) as Foreign Secretary James Willett
- Richard McCabe (Wallander) as Attorney General George Matherson
- Jeremy Northam (The Crown) as Brian Woodale
- Phoebe Fox (The Great) as Carrie Gershon
- Carl Beukes (The Shakedown) as Sergeant Mike Gleeson
- Kim Engelbrecht (Reyka) as Lucy Galvez
- Aisha Takow as Alia Mo’Allim
- Lex King (American Princess) as Susan Helen Danford
Is Eye In The Sky any good?
The heart-in-mouth drama examines the true cost of modern warfare, and it’s the sort of film you’re still thinking about weeks after watching it. As a viewer, you’re placed in the centre of the moral dilemma, and constantly find yourself weighing emotion against military logic. Helen Mirren is superb as the somewhat cold and rational Katherine Powell, whose increasingly tunnel-visioned focus on finishing the mission becomes increasingly more problematic as the human cost becomes very apparent.
Is there a trailer for Eye In The Sky?
Yes – you can watch the trailer for Eye In The Sky below.
How can I watch Eye In The Sky?
Eye In The Sky is available to watch now on BBC iPlayer and Netflix.
What other thrillers can I watch now?
For a more relatable thriller, we’d suggest Channel 5’s Cold Call, which follows struggling single mum June Clarke (Sally Lindsay) whose life is torn apart when she falls victim to a telephone scam and loses all her money. She starts a quest for justice and revenge – the question is, how far will she go? Cold Call is available to watch now on Channel 5. For another gripping watch, try The Killing Kind, the six-part series tells the story of an impressive lawyer, Ingrid Lewis (Emma Appleton), who’s ex-client turned stalker returns to taunt her when her best friend is killed in a hit-and-run. The Killing Kind is available to watch now on ITVX.
