Drive Angry (3D)
03 March 2011. Location: Cinema
Now. I know, as well as you probably do, that I shouldn't have enjoyed this. I know that this should be a clichéd attempt at a cult movie, dripping with fistfights, gunfights, swearing and tits, which sadly falls on its arse due to it's mainstream connections.
Bottom line is, though, I fucking loved this. It's not a guilty pleasure, I honestly think it's the most rock'n'roll fun I've had since Zombieland.
When the BBFC card came up before the film, I thought 'Hmm, it's an 18 Cert. You've got to work pretty hard to get an 18 these days. Even most 'horror' films manage to slip through with a 15. I wonder what they've done to earn that?'
Then, before the title card comes onto the screen, we've had two 'motherfucker's, a head-shot (off-screen), a chest-shot (on-screen), a knee-shot (on-screen), and a car exploded by gasoline and gunfire. Yep, that just about sums the movie up. It's so over the top, you'll either chuckle through it, or despise it entirely.
Plot: Milton (Nic Cage) has broken out of Hell (yes) to rescue his baby grand-daughter, after his daughter and son-in-law were killed by a group of Southern Satanists, lead by Jonah King (Billy Burke, Bella's dad in Twilight). He's being pursued by 'the Accountant' (William Fichtner) who's followed him from Hell and wants to take him back. En route, he pairs up with Piper (Amber Heard) (pairs up platonically - he's a grandad for crying out loud) who, probably wisely, decides to hang around with Milton after killing two police officers. What the hell could go wrong?
Thoughts on:
• Nic Cage: He seems to be channeling Nickeback's Chad Kroeger visually, while trying to play it mean and low key. Much like Tony Stark in Iron Man, now matter how much the audience is told he's an arsehole, he comes across as a fairly likeable anti-hero. Fun to be had, but I doubt the role taxed him too much.
• Amber Heard: Dare I say... eye-candy? I mean, she pulls the roll off okay (bearing in mind she's not given that much to do), but it's nothing that many other actresses could have pulled off. Also, given that Amber is from Texas, and Piper's character is also from the Southern states, her drawl comes and goes like Vanessa Feltz's waistline. Look, she's doing the job, but I get the impression 'the job' is largely just looking pretty. I will concede that she's given the best line in the film, but even then, it's just about her only great one. Everyone else has loads.
• William Fichtner: An excellent performance, with what appears to be the only character development in the whole film. Practical, sardonic and funny, 'The Accountant' grows to be genuinely likeable (that's not a spoiler, he just does).
• The screenplay/script: Between the gunfights, wound-shots and swearing, I was beginning to think that I'd written this. I even liked the car chases, and I'm normally not one for them.
• The 3D: For the most part, unneccessary (even if it was "shot in 3D" as the posters proclaim), but when it's used, it's used well. There's just not really enough to justify it. You'll lose nothing by watching this in 2D on a big screen.
• The soundtrack: Nicely rock/metal, I shall be looking this out I think. Fits the movie perfectly.
All in all, it's a bit like From Dusk 'Til Dawn, but without an hour of character-building-road-movie at the start. It's just two hours of balls-out, beer-chillin', whiskey-drinkin', cartridge-spendin', car-destroyin' action. But it pretends to be nothing else, so top marks there. There are some great one-liners, delivered well enough to not feel corny. I enjoyed it greatly, but I'm aware that many won't.
BEST LINE : "Fuckin' devil worshippers, messin' with powers they ought not to. It turns mah shit white..." ~ Piper.
See if you liked: From Dusk 'Til Dawn, Zombieland, Inglorious Basterds.
DISCLAIMERS:
• ^^^ That's dry, British humour, and most likely sarcasm or facetiousness.
• This is a personal blog. The views and opinions expressed here represent my own thoughts (at the time of writing) and not those of the people, institutions or organizations that I may or may not be related with unless stated explicitly.
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