Drive Angry 3D Review

Simon's Rating: 6/10 Player Affinity Composite Rating: 5.5/10 (2 reviews total) Looking for a batshit crazy genre-blending soupy mess of an exploitation action flick? Enjoy body parts, revving engine blocks, and chunks or burning rubble barraging your face for the duration of your outing? No? Well then feel free to speed right past Drive Angry 3D and onto the next one but for those in the right mood (and with a few beers in their stomach) Nic Cage’s latest action outing will certainly top off your weekly quota for guts, profanity and nudity. Drive Angry is such a disaster it actually succeeds, mostly due in part to director Patrick Lussier and crew, who knew precisely what movie they were making. Toss in a manic Cage (though wigging out less than usual I will say), the out-of-control hot Amber Heard and the underrated William Fichtner in a pitch-perfect supporting role and boring will no longer be in your vocabulary. The script though smirk-enduringly enjoyable and constantly pulpy, all of the dark humour and snappy one-liners will soon dissipate as you drive home (though I did so faster than usual). Cage stars as Milton (a name that no doubt got him beaten up in elementary school), a damned soul who literally breaks out of hell when his infant granddaughter falls into the hands of a sadistic cult (who also coincidently butchered his daughter and son-in-law). In his attempt to get to Louisiana, where the sect’s sacrificial ritual is to take place at the next full moon, he crosses paths with the sultry Piper (Heard), whose toughness is rivalled only by her jaw-dropping appearance in a low cut top and booty shorts. Caught in between the determined Milton and the object of his revenge is a mysterious demon (William Fichtner) known on as The Accountant who comes to Earth to reclaim the escapee. Fichtner is the real star here, playing the devil’s right-hand man as a smooth, cocky individual who always seems mildly inconvenienced, even when he finds his car careening off a bridge. A scene where he describes Lucifer as merely a prison guard: quiet, keeps to himself, well read, is utterly hilarious and in addition to a monologue by Cage actually constructs an interesting realization of the underworld. I also adored Heard’s character who holds no punches as she stands up to (and often beats down) larger male threats; she is one tough, cool chick. Billy Burke (a long way from his role as Bella’s father in “Twilight”) is damn creepy as the cult leader in a mostly limited role. Then of course we have Cage, who I wouldn’t say is at his best (look to his one-two punch of Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans and Kick-Ass for his most accomplished recent work), but he is more than sufficient to cement the film in a solid realm of watchability. The 3D here is very well done; this is no hasty conversion and every shot including the credits is presented in the illusion. Like Lussier’s My Bloody Valentine 3D objects ranging from bullets to severed skulls are thrust at the viewer and it’s good fun for the film’s mood and the genre to which Drive Angry belongs. The extra dimension never detracts or distracts but still remains unnecessary overall which again simply alludes to the eventual death of the gimmick. Scratch the film stock and toss in a Tarantino cameo and this could have been another Grindhouse segment. This decidedly more polished campy action ride probably could have been better in some way, but damn if I would know how to approach it; it is what it is and if in the right gear I could easily see this as someone’s favourite movie of this young year, but consider me in the middle seat. Rating: 6.0/10 Drive Angry Directed by Patrick Lussier Written by Todd Farmer, Patrick Lussier Starring: Nicolas Cage, Amber Heard, William Fichtner, David Morse Other Player Affinity Reviews Steven thought: "A small but existent segment of the American population believes that any and all combinations of cars, guns and naked women make for the perfect care-free cinematic cocktail. But like any cocktail, there’s a perfect blend required, not simply throwing them in a blend-er. Behold the difference between the “Fast and Furious” franchise and Drive Angry. The former, for example, understands that women make the cars more beautiful, whereas Patrick Lussier, co-writer and director of Drive Angry, believes that they go together because they’re two things men like. The creativity of this grindhouse-style flick ceilings at what ways sex, gun fights and cars can be combined together in this way, which makes for an amusing run time, but a hollow one. The revenge story was the right way to go, but the "man escapes hell" premise gives Nic Cage's Milton a clear motivation that the plot doesn't adhere to the way it should. With Robert Rodriguez making examples of proper exploitation these days, a film like Drive Angry can't really compete." Rating: 5/10 Player Affinity Composite Rating: 5.5/10