Carrie Gershon and Aaron Paul star in a scene from the movie "Eye in the Sky." The Catholic News Service classification is A-III -- adults. (CNS/Bleecker Street)

By Catholic News Service

Moral quandaries are superbly explored in this suspenseful military drama, which examines a sprawling topic, the war on terrorism, by keeping its focus fixed on the potential consequences of a single operation on an individual life.

A British colonel (Helen Mirren) prepares a drone attack intended to kill a radicalized British woman (Lex King) who’s plotting an imminent suicide bombing at a Kenya shopping center. But the plan is complicated by the presence of an innocent young girl (Aisha Takow) selling her mother’s bread outside the targeted house. Is it justifiable to risk killing this child when the terrorists, if successful, may slaughter so many more?

As scripted by Guy Hibbert, director Gavin Hood’s film compellingly portrays the real-life anguish such tough ethical dilemmas can inflict on those forced to confront them. Intense action sequences with some gore, about a half-dozen uses of profanity, occasional rough and crude language.

The Catholic News Service classification is A-III — adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R — restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

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