Monday, 11 July 2011

Drive Angry

First and most notably of all this film is just plain mad. A man breaks out of hell and races across the deep south in order to prevent his grand daughter being sacrificed by a demonic cult all the while pursued by The Accountant.

And yes that plot summary makes it sound far more reasonable and sensible than it actually is. Whilst you struggle to call Drive Angry a genuinely good film (it's not) it succeeds very much in what it's aiming for. To be an entertaining "beer and pizza" movie and in this desire to be a raucous, throw about couple of hours entertainment it succeeds much more than a lot of others that aim for that 'B-movie' exploitation vibe (for example all this films missing the joke and graduating from Grindhouse spoof trailer to actual film - far too self aware to work).

Nic Cage puts on one of his best fright wigs and stoically grimaces his way through blowing away bad guys and delivering random bits of exposition. Meanwhile Amber Heard provided the sex appeal (she is a very attractive lady) and does well enough bringing a bit of life to her sidekick role but it's William Fichtner who steals the show as a delightfully deadpan Grim Reaper out to recapture the walking dead Cage. One minute coolly threatening and cajoling cops to help him, one minute driving a tanker truck into road blockades singing along to disco hits all the while.

There in truth not a lot of driving amongst the barrage of wilfully OTT action sequences (where a lot of things fly towards the screen, because you know, 3d!) but there is one handsomely mounted sequence featuring of all things a mobile caravan.

So it's mad, makes little sense, is tonally all over the place and is basically trash of the highest order. But it deserves at least one viewing because I promise you'll raise a smile amongst the nonsense at least once.

Trailer below but warned it gives away one or two of the best bits (though other highlights are not featured)

No comments: