Saturday, July 9, 2011

'Drive Angry' - My Up To The Second Commentary



Amber Heard - "Is there anyone NOT trying to kill you?"

Nicolas Cage - "No"


One of the things I am enjoying this summer is watching all the bad films of Nicolas Cage that I let slip by me in the past. After the unintended giggles of 'Season of the Witch', I knew I had to make this a weekly feature. There is just too much good material out there.

This week we highlight 'Drive Angry' with Nic and the unreal beauty of Amber Heard. Everything you need to know about this story you can get from watching the trailer. Having a guy escape from Hell in a quest to rescue his daughter who has been taken by Satanists is a pretty high concept. Let's hope they go full retard in the execution of this idea. Early on the movie doesn't seem to be shying away from brutal cartoon violence which is a good early sign that I will find this journey enjoyable.


Nicolas' character is named 'MILTON'! And he escaped for HELL? Not a very subtle reference to 'Paradise Lost' by John Milton. That book is about a man's journey into hell. Now THIS is the kind of stuff I like. Being pretentious is one of the hallmarks of the 'full retard' approach to film making.


Amber Heard starts the story by punching out the girl she catching screwing her boyfriend to show us that she is not only sexy but tough as well. She puts a lot of energy into her role as she portrays a girl that is anything but a victim.


She will have to be tough when she joins Cage in hunting down all manner of hellish characters all in pursuit of the goal Cage has to save his granddaughter before she is sacrificed and a portal is opened to hell. As much as Cage might like for that to happen he would rather mess up Hell's plans before they come to fruition.


William Fichtner as 'The Accountant' is one of those character actors who you know will always give you a strong performance no matter how hackney the script is. He elevates even the worst material. I like the way he does his 'job' with corporate efficiency and a gleeful sense of humor.

Cage is playing the same gloomy remorseless damaged violent loner that he has played way to many times in his career. However, this is the exact type of film that he should have saved that characterization for. It all actually works in the bizarre world that this movie creates.

Most of the killings in this movie are done with an enjoyably gruesome flair. Is it possible that the people involved in this project actually get the joke and don't' take their script too seriously? How else do you explain the sweet motel gunfight that Cage gets into with the goons working for the sleazy preacher who took Cage's granddaughter in the first place? I guarantee that you have never seen a sequence quite like that in all your born days.

This was a goofy distraction that often has to be seen to be believed. It's deliciously lurid and stupid but it was 'out there' just enough to make this one a cult winner for all fans of Nicolas Cage. It's a film you want to watch with a group of people.

And I didn't need even say anything about the 'Dues Ex Machina' bullets and the five barrelled 'god gun' or the skull bandanna or the roadblock escape.

Check this one out for a nice change from the everyday ordinary films you may be watching.

7/10 - A B-movie revenge flick with enough violence and over the top moments to make for an enjoyable movie experience.

6 comments:

TIMMYTHEROBOT said...

I love me anything with Nic Cage in it.

Kal said...

I am finding the same thing Timmy. The more stupid the film or performance the more I find that I enjoy it. I am looking at his career with fresh eyes. The last two movies he made were not great by any stretch of the imagination but they were goofy fun in their own way and they entertained me which is all I want from anything I watch.

DEZMOND said...

Amber Heard is starring in NBC's new show THE PLAYBOY CLUB this Fall and she is also a possible new RED SONJA according to rumors :)

Sarah said...

I don't think Nicholas says "no" to anything his agent brings to him LOL

Kal said...

oooo 'snap!' ouch Nicolas Cage. He is in every second movie that is released out there so your snark is reasonable, Sarah. Good to have you back.

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