Movie Review: Drive Angry (2011) directed by Patrick Lussier
John Milton (Nicolas Cage) was a bad person who committed many crimes. It’s no surprise he ended locked up for many years. During those years, his daughter grew up, joined a cult, left the cult, got married, had a child, and then was murdered by the cult and her child taken to be sacrificed. When Milton found out about this, it made him angry enough to break out of his prison, even stealing the warden’s gun on the way out. But because the prison was Hell and the warden is Satan, the tracker sent to retrieve Milton is no ordinary man, but The Accountant (William Fitchner), a being with supernatural abilities of his own.
Early in his search for Jonah King (Billy Burke), the cult leader, Milton runs into Piper (Amber Heard), a waitress who’s just quit her job due to (among other things) sexual harassment, and is having an ugly breakup with her two-timing boyfriend. Needing a change, she’s easily recruited for use of her Dodge Charger to get to Louisiana where the cult is planning to have the ritual. The cult and the police turn out to be just as much hostile to Piper as they are to Milton, so she’s now in it for keeps.
This R-rated action horror movie was shot in 3-D, and it really shows from time to time with objects flying at the camera. Unfortunately, the version I watched was a 2-D print. The special effects and explosions still look very nice.
Mr. Cage plays Milton in an understated fashion–this is a character who has literally been through Hell and doesn’t need to chew the scenery to make a point. Mr. Burke as the main villain gets to do the histrionics. The Accountant is pretty chill for his job description, and gets many of the best one-liners. Ms. Heard’s portrayal of Piper is kind of obnoxious, but you can see where she’s coming from given the men she encounters. (Piper punches above her weight for an “ordinary waitress”, so she has to be stymied either by much stronger men or multiple opponents.)
David Morse joins the movie relatively late as Webster, Milton’s sole known friend, who gives the movie a chance to fill in some backstory and explain a little of Milton’s personality.
Good: Lots of action, pretty explosions, car chases, a very special firearm known as the Godkiller, some interesting theological implications. The Accountant is cool. Use of music is nifty.
Less Good: it clearly loses a bit when seen in 2-D. Also, the theological implications should not be thought about too hard, because the writers didn’t do so.
Political: The police are either useless or trying to kill the protagonists whenever they show up. In fairness, they are unaware of what’s really going on or actively misled in most instances. Plus we see that local police forces are easily infiltrated by domestic terrorists.
Content note: Lots of violence, sometimes gory. Male (not including Mr. Cage) and female nudity, onscreen sex. Rape, physical abuse, torture. Frequent crude language. This movie earns its R.
Overall: This movie sank at the box office, which is a shame, because it’s a lot of fun for fans of violent action who can handle the content issues mentioned. I think it will do well with the sort of folks who enjoy making snarky remarks while watching films.
