For Rent on Apple TV, Amazon, Google Play, and YouTube
Movies with Nicholas Cage are like firecrackers with a broken fuse; they can blow up in your face at any moment with a fantastic flash! The only difference is one situation results in a surprising bout of entertainment while the other leaves you feeling uncomfortably burned. On some occasions, they can go hand in hand. The man may be crazy, but he seems to be one of those few individuals who has successfully learned to channel that insanity into his craft and to the benefit of many movie watchers.
Today's subject, Sympathy for the Devil, is no exception to this unusual subgenre of cinema. While it can feel as though it drags for a bit too long at times (as slow-burn movies can often feel), the journey is always more important than the destination. And this journey might be worth taking, with a few pit stops here and there to catch your breath and ponder why you might be laughing.
The story follows a man, The Driver (Joel Kinnaman), who is going to the hospital to meet his wife in labor with their second child. However, the moment he pulls into the parking lot, a dangerous-looking mystery man, The Passenger (Nicholas Cage), hops into the back seat with a gun and instructs the driver to drive away and into the night. As the journey unfolds with The Driver doing his best to survive the night, the truth about why this is all happening slowly reveals this seemingly chance encounter to be so much more than what may be perceived. What follows is a high stakes emotional ping-pong match that will likely end with only one victor.
About 85% of the film takes place inside a moving car as Cage and Kinnaman exchange tense dialogue unraveling each other's mysterious layers. Most of the film's energy comes from Nick Cage's ever-reliable manic & intense screen presence. Though it can get a little repetitive at times, and the mystery can take a bit too long to unravel itself (not to mention perhaps a little too much gratuitous violence for my personal preferences), It's just crazy enough to work with what little it has.
While I admit this film is not for everyone (as most slow-burn movies are acquired tastes), if you have the patience and the inclination for a deliberately paced thriller with solid acting and decent narrative exploration of themes like revenge, give this one a try. Just be sure to watch something lite hearted afterward.
Ladies & gentlemen, I am TheNorm; thank you all for reading.
No comments:
Post a Comment