MOVIE NEWS – With the year barely underway and many viewers still recovering from New Year’s Eve, a fresh action thriller series has arrived at exactly the right moment. Built around murder investigations, international tension, and cloak-and-dagger intrigue, the show offers a sharp distraction from the early-January slump. Starring Jing Lusi as London police detective Hana Li and Martin Compston as Clay Brody, head of security at the U.S. Embassy in London, Red Eye positions itself as an easy series to fall into and very hard to stop watching.
Developed by Peter A. Dowling, whose previous work includes Black and Blue and Flightplan, Red Eye returns for a second season with a completely new storyline while once again keeping Hana Li at its core. In the first season, the detective was pushed to her limits while escorting a British man extradited to China on a manslaughter charge he claimed was false. Season 2 immediately escalates the tension, drawing Hana back into danger after violent incidents strike both the U.S. Embassy and MI5.
The driving question this time is whether DS Li and Agent Brody can prevent a carefully orchestrated plot that puts a government aircraft directly in the crosshairs. Red Eye Season 2 is now streaming on Hulu in the United States and is also airing on ITV1 and STV at 9 p.m. on New Year’s Day in the UK, with additional streaming options available via ITVX and STV Player. The official synopsis below outlines how quickly the situation spirals out of control.
Inside the U.S. Embassy, celebrations surrounding the appointment of a new American ambassador to London are abruptly cut short by a chilling phone call. The threat is explicit: a British plane will be destroyed if anyone leaves the building. An immediate lockdown is imposed, sealing guests and staff inside the embassy.
From that moment on, a series of murders unfolds, turning Hana Li’s assignment into a political and jurisdictional minefield. Forced to work alongside Clay Brody, the embassy’s head of security and a former colleague who once betrayed her, Hana must set aside personal resentment and focus on uncovering the truth before the situation turns catastrophic.
The Series Leans Fully Into Classic Spy-Thriller Energy
According to Martin Compston, Red Eye was designed with fans of high-octane espionage stories firmly in mind. Speaking recently with The Hollywood Reporter, the actor explained that the role allowed him to embrace the kind of action-driven storytelling he grew up loving.
“Nobody who sees me walking down the street would assume I’m playing an ex–Special Forces tough guy. But all the wrist comms, the earpieces, that whole world — I genuinely enjoy it. I was raised on Indiana Jones, James Bond, and action films like that. I’m in my early forties now, and you never know how long roles like this come along, so you have to appreciate them when they do.”
“Structurally, it reminded me of 24. By the end, it feels like the characters have survived something intense together. There’s a bond that forms, and what makes it even more powerful is that everything plays out over the course of a single night.”
Season 2 also brings back Jonathan Aris, Robert Guilbert, Cash Holland, and Steph Lacey, while introducing new cast members including Isaura Barbe-Brown, Nicholas Rowe, Tom Forbes, Danusia Samal, Trevor White, and Guy Williams. With the entire second season of Red Eye now available on Hulu, the series offers a tightly paced, suspense-heavy way to kick off the year for anyone who prefers their thrillers fast, dark, and relentless.
Source: MovieWeb
