I admit it, I’m a Shia LaBeouf fan.  I fell for him in Disturbia, then Transformers, then Indy and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and so I couldn’t wait to see him in Eagle Eye.  Besides, the movie just looked great, with high action and an edge-of-your-seat premise.  What if you had no control over your life?  What would you do? 

I wasn’t disappointed. Eagle Eye had me on the edge of my seat the entire two hours, some of the time with my hands pressed up against my face (in fact, I think I even made red handprints).  Non-stop action, great motivations, incredible conflict…a movie that took my breath away.  Sometimes, in thrillers, let just say, uh….any of the Die Hard movies…we have a hero who is all about the quest, all about getting the bad guys.  And, in a high-action thriller, yep, that’s the main point. 

But, sometimes, don’t we want more?  Don’t we want the character to grow, and change?  To become a stronger, better hero?  And, in the end, don’t we want to leave with more than the sense that he got the bad guy? 

Yes – and that’s what made Eagle Eye a movie worth adding to your shelf.  Not only to study the dynamics of motivation versus stakes, but also for the effective character change realized through two or three distinct scenes, and the perfectly woven ending. 

Let’s take a look: 

First, we see the kind of person Jerry Shaw is in the opening sequence – he’s playing poker with his buddies and he uses his incredible persuasive skills to convince a buddy to place his bet.  Of course, he wins, and we think he’s some great tycoon…until he walks out into his real life and we realize he’s just a copy boy.  Hmm…something’s not right. 

Then, he goes home, tries to smooth talk the landlord into accepting partial rent and receives a phone call that rocks his world.  His twin brother has died.  And not only is he not Jerry – he’s an overachiever with medals who died for his country. What happened to Jerry? 

Finally, Jerry ends up at his home, in his brother’s room in a poignant scene where he tells his father that he just wishes he felt like he belonged.  (code for:  why am I so different from my twin brother?).  

Then, the action starts.  Jump, Jerry Shaw!  Find your destiny!  As a viewer, the story has become more than a thriller. We now understand Jerry’s deepest desire – to be like his twin and it’s all the motivation we need to believe in Jerry’s desperate journey, both internally and externally.  Although he denies he’s like his twin brother, we see his heroic character start to surface, first in his daring acts of desperation, then in protecting the woman in the mess with him, and finally in deciding that whatever happens, he’s going to complete his brother’s mission, and not let him down.  When Jerry finally realizes what he has to do to save the day, he does it with all the heroism of his twin, and finally becomes the man he was destined to be. 

He takes that leap into heroism with a resounding hurrah from the viewer because the screenwriters took the time to show us Jerry’s deepest, even unknown, desires, and then brought them to fruition. 

The final scene brings us full circle, nearly back to the thematic conversation with his father, where Jerry sees how he is the twin of a hero.  (aka, a hero himself).  It’s the perfect ending because not only has he saved the day, but he’s also finished his emotional journey.  A great ending goes beyond plot to emotions and spiritual needs. 

When you’re setting up your story, find scenes that reveal the deepest desire of the hero.  They’ll work to build motivation and give you a target to shoot for when defining the happily ever after.   Then close the circle for your hero, bringing them back to their desires, now fulfilled, and you’ll give the reader more than a thriller – you’ll give them a story that makes them wonder if they too, could save the day and be a hero.