Film trailer of the week: Eye in the Sky

WHAT IS IT?

Directed by Gavin Hood (X-Men Origins: Wolverine), Eye in the Sky is a British thriller based on drone warfare in Kenya. Starring Helen Mirren, Aaron Paul and Alan Rickman, the timely film addresses the war on terrorism and the moral challenges that it presents.

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

Mirren stars as Colonel Katherine Powell, who is leading a top secret drone mission to capture a terrorist group hiding in a Kenyan safe house. Their objective is to capture their targets, but once they discover the group plans to carry out a suicide mission, they decide to kill them. As they target the kill zone, the drone picks up footage of a young girl playing on the grounds of the safe house, and from here the film weighs up its moral questions.

DOES IT LOOK ANY GOOD?

Despite clocking in at two and a half minutes, the trailer seems to drag a little and it feels as though most of the key plot points are prematurely exposed. Unless there’s a massive plot twist, all we really have left to discover is whether they decide to carry out their deadly attack or not. The brilliant cast and topicality of the film are both strong draws but the appeal may not stretch a great deal further than that.

• Eye in the Sky is set for UK cinema release in 2016