One admonition that this viewer heard before deciding to watch "Drive Angry" was that it was suffering from the "trying too hard" syndrome; in this case, the film is trying too hard to be an instant cult favourite. That's kind of hard to argue, as it works overtime to establish an air of cool and a lot of style, while all the time pretty much winking at the audience.
Nicolas Cage plays John Milton, a lowlife who's literally escaped from Hell and roars down highways in pursuit of a creepy-ass cult leader, Jonah King (Billy Burke). You see, King and his cult have already BRUTALLY murdered Miltons' daughter and have abducted his granddaughter, intending to offer the child up as a ritual sacrifice. And hot on Miltons' heels is an emissary from Hell referred to as The Accountant (William Fichtner).
Right from the start, co-writer / actor Todd Farmer and co-writer / co-editor / director Patrick Lussier let those of us in the audience know that we're going to be taken on an intense and corpse-littered ride. They keep the movie rocketing forward, and the tongue in cheek tone is always present, with frequent one-liners from Cage and a silly approach taken to some of the kill scenes. And speaking of Cage, one can't help but notice that his performance isn't plagued by eccentricities, and is actually more restrained than they'll expect.
He gets very effective support from the smoking-hot Amber Heard, who sears the screen as his feisty sidekick who always puts up a good fight. The under-rated Fichtner is a standout as the relentless bad (?) guy; he plays the part with wit and personality. Familiar faces among the supporting cast include David Morse as Miltons' old buddy Webster, Charlotte Ross as comely waitress Candy, the always welcome Tom Atkins as "Cap", and Jack McGee as diner owner Fat Lou. Ross and co-star Christa Campbell add additional, much appreciated eye candy; Lussier and Farmer keep up the trademark that they established in their "My Bloody Valentine" remake of protracted, gleefully gratuitous nudity. (One highlight has Milton taking out several villains while still in the embrace of Candy with whom he'd been having sex!)
The digital and 3D effects are plentiful, always throwing things right in your face. The pacing is fast and furious enough to make sure that viewers don't ever get bored. They're also likely to be laughing loudly and often, what with all of the general grisliness and mayhem.
Overall, "Drive Angry" is not destined to become something iconic, but it's an amusing diversion and there are much worse ways to spend an hour and 45 minutes.
Seven out of 10.
Nicolas Cage plays John Milton, a lowlife who's literally escaped from Hell and roars down highways in pursuit of a creepy-ass cult leader, Jonah King (Billy Burke). You see, King and his cult have already BRUTALLY murdered Miltons' daughter and have abducted his granddaughter, intending to offer the child up as a ritual sacrifice. And hot on Miltons' heels is an emissary from Hell referred to as The Accountant (William Fichtner).
Right from the start, co-writer / actor Todd Farmer and co-writer / co-editor / director Patrick Lussier let those of us in the audience know that we're going to be taken on an intense and corpse-littered ride. They keep the movie rocketing forward, and the tongue in cheek tone is always present, with frequent one-liners from Cage and a silly approach taken to some of the kill scenes. And speaking of Cage, one can't help but notice that his performance isn't plagued by eccentricities, and is actually more restrained than they'll expect.
He gets very effective support from the smoking-hot Amber Heard, who sears the screen as his feisty sidekick who always puts up a good fight. The under-rated Fichtner is a standout as the relentless bad (?) guy; he plays the part with wit and personality. Familiar faces among the supporting cast include David Morse as Miltons' old buddy Webster, Charlotte Ross as comely waitress Candy, the always welcome Tom Atkins as "Cap", and Jack McGee as diner owner Fat Lou. Ross and co-star Christa Campbell add additional, much appreciated eye candy; Lussier and Farmer keep up the trademark that they established in their "My Bloody Valentine" remake of protracted, gleefully gratuitous nudity. (One highlight has Milton taking out several villains while still in the embrace of Candy with whom he'd been having sex!)
The digital and 3D effects are plentiful, always throwing things right in your face. The pacing is fast and furious enough to make sure that viewers don't ever get bored. They're also likely to be laughing loudly and often, what with all of the general grisliness and mayhem.
Overall, "Drive Angry" is not destined to become something iconic, but it's an amusing diversion and there are much worse ways to spend an hour and 45 minutes.
Seven out of 10.