If you think about 'Drive Angry' too hard, the film does fall apart, though. Of course, this is a role Fichtner can eat up, as his air of confidence in a position of power is equaled in modern cinema only by David Strathairn. He's somewhat like Azrael in 'Dogma,' a brooding, sinister demon who has ulterior motives, yet an ever present goal, as well. His Obolos (Greek coin) is a fantastic touch, as the man who knows when everyone is going to die (who openly flaunts this fact) makes what should be the payment over the river Styx a weapon as well as a tool that he manipulates into an FBI badge, its mere presence making him an ancient being, a mythological twist. The character is amazingly layered, with an obvious set of intentions, as well as some hidden ones, which makes him more three dimensional than anyone else in the flick (of course, in the kingdom of the blind, the one eyed man.you know.).
The Accountant has to be the coolest thing in the film, and that includes the random limb dismemberment via shotgun, or the super fast muscle cars on display.
The real catch of 'Drive Angry' has to be Fichtner, though, and when he's on screen, the best in Cage is brought out. If only he were interesting in sacrificing people while in that other film series. They're an anti-climax, and the fact that they're lead by Charlie Swan should be a hint as to how organized and effective they are. The more we see of the satanic cult, the less menace there is, as they just seem like a bunch of rednecks whose only difference from other rednecks is their symbols.
Action set pieces are spread through the film a bit too predictably, though, and after a while, the film begins to feel like a constant ramp up, ramp down back and forth pendulum that doesn't know which way it wants to go, sadly.
#WHAT YEAR CHEVY IS AT THE END OF DRIVE ANGRY MOVIE FULL#
The film is full of wonderful over the top violence, and the tone is set early for what kind of insanity will take place, and while the "plot" development does take time, the way it's laid out, rather than just thrown in your face to attempt to comprehend, makes for a good, interesting pace, at first. It's almost reminiscent of his uneven 'Ghost Rider' performance, a similar role. You can see the determination in his eyes, but it's just not there in his performance, in body language or tone of voice. His portrayal of Milton is a bit too calm and collected for someone who was just burning in hell, who now has demonic forces on his ass to bring him back home. Accompanied by the smoking hot Piper (Amber Heard), Milton has only a few days to make things right, and it doesn't help that The Accountant (William Fichtner), a demon attempting to retrieve Milton back to Satan's grasp, is hot on his trail.Ĭage isn't the perfect casting, and, as much as I hate to say this, he may be the one weak link. He's gunning for anyone involved in the affair, working from the bottom up, and he's leaving a trail of bodies in his wake, delivering more and more souls to the underworld. The cult gets their wish, in a sense, as Milton breaks out of hell to seek vengeance, in an attempt to save his granddaughter's life.
The death of John Milton (Nicolas Cage)'s daughter and her husband at the hands of a satanic cult was bad enough, but the plans of Jonah King (Billy Burke) and his followers to sacrifice Milton's newborn granddaughter under a full moon to bring hell to Earth is the last straw. It's probably not the best film for female audiences, as it lacks any delicacy or subtlety, whatsoever, on top of numerous moments with violence against women or bits that can readily be seen as demeaning towards the finer sex. Perhaps that's why Lussier designed this flick to have as much happening as possible, with some very elaborate set pieces and scenes sure to get one's adrenaline pumping. In fact, the more you think, the more likely you are to spot moments that just don't work logically. Patrick Lussier's 'Drive Angry' is a film that doesn't require brains to watch. Hot girls, fast cars, awesome gunfights, cool characters, bloody carnage, smart dialogue stringing it all together the more there is, the merrier the experience will be. With guy movies, what matters most is seeing what you wanted to see. Heck, most of the 'Fast and the Furious' films are perfect examples of this. The plot is just a way to string action sequences together.