Eye In The Sky Analysis

The final decision of allowing a drone to strike depends on the different decisions of politicians, the colonel and the pilots make. Going down the command chain, there are various emotions and points of reasoning in order to finally come to a decision of whether to strike with the drone or not. In the movie “Eye in the Sky,” we see the political, ethical and emotional conflicts that this drone mission has brought upon to the people involved. The three groups struggle differently depending on their position in launching the drone because of a single child who sells bread in a zone that will be strongly impacted after the hit. Though one would expect the drawback of launching the drone to mainly be because of compassion and humanity, the child …show more content…
The main issue the politicians worry about is how people would view the government if they give permission to the colonel. The primary concern is legality: are they allowed to enter the premises that are militia controlled? The Lieutenant General, Frank Benson, clarifies that they are not allowed to enter but the placement of the drones allow them to aim and strike without violating any legal issues. Later on, after finding no strong legal barriers for them to continue the mission, the female politician mentions that they are politically “walking into a minefield” which is a valid point because propaganda is a likely problem that will stir up the media outlets if the footage is found. This was the first time she brought up an important aspect they would need to worry about but Lieutenant General Frank Benson completely ignored her and only wanted an answer from the minister. Perhaps it was her tone of voice or her general body language that made the Lieutenant overlook her contribution but later on, prior to talking to Foreign Secretary James Willet, they spoke to a senior advisor at the US National Security Council, Jillian Goldman. Goldman spoke professionally and laid down facts for them in order to voice her views of this situation but they cut her off quickly without even giving an official response because Willet was on the line waiting. It …show more content…
They are in charge of flying and launching the drones; it sounds quite simple and straightforward but there is a great mental toll associated with a single press of the button as seen in the film. When the pilots first found out that the Colonel plans to go with a shoot to kill rather than a capture mission, they look worried and taken aback. Many lives depend on how well they aim and time the launch in order to lessen the collateral damage the best they can and thus, they feel pressured especially since both have not had any prior experience past flying a drone. Throughout the film, the pilot asks the Colonel many questions like “is my government aware that we are targeting a person with a US passport?” and “I don 't see anything in the SPINS about that?” in order to make sure he is definitely allowed to launch the hellfire in the safest way legally and physically. The pilots were slightly unwilling and dejected about their assignment even before the little girl showed up but their emotions definitely developed into something deeper once they watched the situation get more complicated. The female pilot was out of it and had to be told twice before she actually carried out her tasks. As for the male pilot, his voice was lifeless and dull as he did what he needed to do. He let his feelings overcome him when he saw the little girl start selling the bread so he demanded for the CDE to be run again.