Red Eye

DreamWorks/Universal, PG-13, 85 min. plus supplements, Dolby Digital 5.1, widescreen or fullscreen, Street: Jan. 10, $29.95; First Run: W, Aug. 2005, $58 mil.

Horror veteran Wes Craven's economical and effective thriller clocks in at 85 minutes, including credits, and not a moment of time is wasted. The same can be said of the DVD package, which includes a pair of 10-minute, information-packed featurettes—one focusing on the production, the other on Craven—a six-minute gag reel (yes, cast and crew members can have a silly time while making a thriller that finds an assassin getting his throat punctured with a pen) and a commentary track by the director along with producer Marianne Maddalena and editor Patrick Lussier. They're all happy to be together reflecting on their film, particularly Craven, who is without a doubt the most dignified, well-spoken filmmaker to get his start making slasher films. It's during the commentary that Craven relates that he read the Red Eye script while prepping to go on vacation but altered his plan accordingly. "I have to do this—I'd be a fool not to," he declared.