Review of Drive Angry (2011) by Lenny R — 23 Sep 2011

Okay, just to get the automotive puns out of the way, Drive Angry is "a high-octane, full-bore, supercharged, pedal-to-the-metal thrill-ride best enjoyed with your brain in neutral.".

Put it this way: it does what it says on the tin, and fairly well for the most part. It's not the sort of movie you should watch if you're after subtlety, emotional maturity, realism or any of that boring, everyday stuff. It's not even the best example of what it is -- nasty, childish fun for grown-ups -- but it is part of a genre in which how good the script is or how polished the production values are aren't necessarily indicative of whether the movie succeeds or not. It is absurd. It is immature. It's even a little sleazy (case in point: the writer giving himself a graphic sex scene). But in this type of movie, those should be considered virtues rather than faults.

Aiding this particular movie's case is the fact that the four lead actors (Cage, Heard, Fichtner and Burke) are all perfectly cast, and have great chemistry as well as individual charisma. People have said this is part of Nic Cage's downhill slide, but I disagree; this is the sort of thing he does best. I consider his finest work to be from Face/Off and Con Air, and this character is similar to the ones he played in those: flawed men attempting to gain redemption and save people they love from crazy bad-guys. No, this is not as good a movie, but Nic is just as solid in it as he was in those. William Fichtner is as good here as in anything he's done, and The Accountant is one of the more interesting characters I've seen him play: charming, efficient, ruthless, and the closest thing the movie has to comic relief (unless you view the whole thing as a comedy, which is valid). Amber Heard is fast becoming one of my favourite actresses, aided by her performace here, in which she easily holds her own against Nic and Bill, as well as Billy Burke, who you could actually imagine operating a seedy cult (that's a compliment).

David Morse is fine too, by the way; there just isn't much to his character.

I mean, sure, haters will do what they do (and many of them make valid arguments in this case), but I generally look for the positive and defend it where I find it. I found enough here to keep me watching; so, if you're like me (and I pity you if you are), you might too.