Drive Angry Review

• 8th Mar 2011

File this one under guilty pleasure, but one you probably shouldn’t tell too many people about. Nic Cage plays a dead man who returns from hell to avenge the murder of his estranged daughter and rescue her baby from the hands of misguided devil worshipers.

Along the way he drags Amber Heard’s blonde counterpart (in a forgettable role that is reminiscent of any other blonde you have seen in a dumb Crank like action film). Add to the mix a suave and suited character called The Accountant (William Fichtner), also from hell, sent to retrieve Cage’s character John Milton (yes John Milton, hardy fucking har).

Aside from using devil related character names already used in The Devil’s Advocate, Drive Angry is a real mess from start to finish. The action is clearly for the adult crowd and it tries to not care who gets injured or killed (although women and children seem to get off the hook more often than men). The action is fuelled by a stereotypical rock backing and requires Cage to point big guns at cameras, mutter dumb one liners and leave everyone else to the agonized screaming. Cage also has another awful hairdo to contend with.

Billy Burke (Twilight) plays the head of the cult CAge is after. Here he seems merely to be repeating the psycho role he did in season two of 24 when he was also a baby chasing killer.

Cage’s career is almost predictable. He does a couple of clunkers and then he returns with a couple of ace films (last year saw Bad Lieutenant and Kick Ass take plaudits all round), then he returns to the bargain basement (this year’s Season Of the Witch and this). When comparing titles it seems the riskier the project, or character the better off he is.  But the moment he tries to get clever or do straight action it can all go to shit.

Thank god then for William Fichtner, a steady supporting actor for the better part of two decades (anyone else remember him in Heat, as the leader of the military team in Armageddon or as the blind guy from Contact? Or do you only know him from Prison Break?). He clearly has the fun part and rips up the screen with some of the better dialogue in a role that requires him to pace about and not give too much of a shit about anyone he talks to. However, as fun as his dialogue is, his crowning moment is one where he arrives amidst one action sequence in a truck blaring KC and the Sunshine Gang’s That’s The Way I Like It.

Moment’s like this provide some much needed hilarity, but also displays the lack of humour elsewhere in the film. By and large it’s a grab a beer and kick back for a laugh film. Shame it wasn’t a little bit better.

Steven Hurst