Drive Angry Drives Me Crazy

Drive Angry

Reviewed by Adam Minor

There are, in essence, two types of films. The ones that attempt thought-provoking devices aimed at making you think, and those thoughtless action romps that are just there to make you have fun. Both films have their place in the world of entertainment.

That being said, Drive Angry is neither, though it was striving for the latter. People seem to think that fun, action-packed, “grind house” movies are simply fast cars, loose women and lots of guns. There is still a place for story in these films. Just because you aim to ramp up action, doesn’t mean you can put the story, plot and characters on the backseat. Going into Drive Angry, you expect to see an insane Nicholas Cage attacking the gas pedal with a beautiful Amber Heard sitting next to him. What you see instead is an aimless and shallow mould of an action movie.

The film focuses on John Milton (I’ll give you a second to get your sense back after that slap-in-the-face reference). John’s daughter was murdered by a group of Satanists, and his granddaughter was kidnapped in order to be sacrificed at the next full moon. John literally escapes from Hell in an effort to save the remainder of his family while being hunted by a man called “The Accountant”.

What’s missing most here is Cage’s lapse into a psychotic tantrum ala Bad Lieutenant. Cage seems to merely phone it in here and not fully commit to the role. An issue he’s never really faced before. Typically, he over-commits (See: Wicker Man). Heard was able to ramp up the action with her badass chick routine, but the character really brought nothing new to the table. The big winner here is William Fichtner who plays The Accountant. His on-screen presence amps the film to the action-fuelled flick it ought to be.

With a name like Drive Angry, the action is not as rampant as you might expect. In fact, there is actually very little angry driving. 

Rating: 1/5