Thursday, August 25, 2011

"Drive Angry" (2011)

Starring Nicolas Cage, Amber Heard and William Fichtner
Written by Todd Farmer and Patrick Lussier
Directed by Patrick Lussier
Rated R - Violence, gore, language, nudity, sex
Running Time: 105 Minutes
Trailer

I don't even know where to begin with this one.  Uh... the plot.......?

Milton (Nicolas Cage) has broken out of Hell itself to track down a Satanic cult leader named Jonah King (Billy Burke).  King killed Milton's daughter, and stole his infant granddaughter, whom he plans to sacrifice to Satan in order to unleash Hell on Earth.

The Accountant (William Fichtner) has come from Hell to retrieve Milton.  He can only be killed by a mystical weapon with magic bullets, of which Milton happens to be in possession.
 
Milton, on his way to find Jonah's compound, asks a beautiful young waitress named Piper (Amber Heard) for a ride in her muscular Dodge Charger.  When he witnesses Piper's fiance beating her, he intercedes and nearly kills the man, taking Piper with him on his quest for revenge.  Ultimately, the two will form a bond of friendship as they attempt to rescue the infant from King and his evil hick minions.



Uh...

It's so hard to describe "Drive Angry," it's really something that has to be seen to be believed.  It doesn't take itself seriously, at all.  The action sequences defy physics in favor of cartoonish, over-the-top badassery.  For example:


If you can't appreciate what's going on in this sequence, don't even bother trying to watch "Drive Angry."  The script is absurd, the action even more so.  The cast (save Nicolas Cage) is gung-ho.  The real star is Fichtner, who creates a fascinating, fun, and funny character in The Accountant.  He's badass, as you can see above.  He knows he can't be hurt, and treats the humans he encounters appropriately.  He calls people "bitch," "fat fuck," and so on, completely unconcerned with any reaction they may have other than getting what he wants out of them. 

Nicolas Cage, on the other hand, seems bored, playing Milton with a near-monotone.  There's a ton of fun to be had in "Drive Angry," but Cage's lack of energy nearly derails the entire thing.  But "Drive Angry" succeeds despite this, grabbing hold of its grindhouse origins with gusto. 

There's really not much else to say; "Drive Angry" really needs to be experienced rather than discussed.  I had a blast watching it.  The action sequences are fun and cool, with a lot of painful-looking, clever kills - and what might be the funniest, most absurd sex scene I've ever seen.  I have to recommend "Drive Angry" to anyone looking for a ridiculous good time.  With some beers and junk food, this is a perfect "guys' night" kind of movie. 

2 comments:

  1. It has a stupid name, and I'm almost always wary of films that actually have '3D' in their name, but I do quite like the sound of this one :)

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  2. The film is almost boundlessly stupid, make no bones about it. But it also revels in its own stupidity. The 3D... You can tell that it was shot with 3D in mind because there are lots of obvious "things fly at the screen" gags, but I didn't watch it in 3D and it wasn't a problem. At no point did I think, "Man, I wish I was watching this in 3D!"

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