Nicolas Cage plays brutal felon John Milton who is thrown into hell for his crimes but escapes after cultists murder his daughter and take her baby. Armed with Satans gun and a 1969 blue Dodge Charger R/T 440, he goes after the bad guys with the help of Amber Heard. William Fichtner plays The Accountant, a sharp dressed operative of Satan tasked with bringing Milton and, the gun back to Hell. This is pure grindhouse entertainment so committed to its own junkiness that it becomes a guilty pleasure. The movie was shot in 3-D and is from the maker of the My Bloody Valentine remake.
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SnoopyStyle29 December 2013Milton (Nicolas Cage) is hunting Satanic cult leader Jonah King (Billy Burke) who murdered his daughter and kidnapped her baby. Jonah is about to sacrifice the baby in 3 day's time. Milton gets a ride off of roadside diner waitress Piper (Amber Heard). Meanwhile Milton is pursued by the powerful Accountant (William Fichtner).
It's all pumping music and overblown action with a splash of female nudity. Amber Heard is strutting around in her Daisy Dukes. There is a lot to like, but the story isn't that compelling. It is a simplistic balls-out no-holds-bar vulgar entertainment. It's not going to win any awards, but it's good for the midnight crowd. -
brando6473 August 2011For every good film starring Nicolas Cage, there are a half dozen or so throwaway films that fade into the background. The 2011 semi-grindhouse film DRIVE ANGRY is pretty much one of those throwaways. I don't mean it's a crappy movie. There's enough here to keep the film somewhat entertaining if you're looking for some mindless fun. I suppose it might've been even better in 3D. From what I remember, this film was actually filmed with 3D cameras as opposed to the crappy post-conversion process. I've only seen it in 2D, so I couldn't tell you if the extra dimension adding anything to the experience. The story is straight out of the world of grindhouse: Nicholas Cage is John Milton, a man who's escaped from Hell, and he's on a mission. His daughter was murdered by the insane leader of a Satanic cult, and this same maniac has plans on sacrificing Milton's newborn grandchild in a ritual to open a gateway between Hell and Earth. But Milton didn't leave Hell alone...there's a mysterious figure known only as the Accountant on his tail with the intention of taking Milton back.
Sounds cool, huh? It sort of is. The movie's loaded with crazy action and violence, including a gun battle in a motel room while Milton chugs a bottle of whiskey and continues getting freaky with a barmaid while gunning down multiple opponents. The scene alone should earn this movie awesome status. It probably would if there were more scenes as off-the-wall as this one. The final confrontation where Milton reminds us why the film is titled DRIVE ANGRY is pretty crazy, but the rest of the action in the movie is nothing we haven't seen before. The action also suffers from weak effects. The movie had a $50 million budget but I guess it all went into the car chases. Seriously, cars are exploding at the slightest hit and there's plenty of opportunities for tossing cars here. What CG is in the movie, is generally pretty terrible. When Milton uses his "god-killer" in the finale, I nearly laughed at a moment when we're supposed to be cheering. When it comes to gore effects, I always prefer practical over CG and the practical effects in this film, while not always perfect, were much better.
I understand that this film is following in the recent trend of bringing the grindhouse film back to mainstream (not that that's a bad thing, e.g. GRINDHOUSE, HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN), but even characters in a grindhouse film need to be interesting. Milton's character has a cool premise: he's busted out of Hell. So why is his character so boring? Cage delivers his lines with the energy of someone whose just been woken from his afternoon nap. For a man who's escaped from the bowels of the underworld, he sure doesn't have a whole lot of passion for his mission. Someone should've reminded him the movie's called DRIVE ANGRY, not DRIVE PEEVED. Amber Heard is a waitress who finds herself drawn into Milton's quest and, in addition to providing some amazing eye candy, is the only one who seems to care what's going on. The real scene-stealers in this movie are the villains. Billy Burke is downright creepy as cult leader Jonah King with his Southern drawl and a self-righteous attitude that convinces his followers that this man knows what he's doing. More than anyone, the best performance in the film comes from William Fichtner as the Accountant. He's mysterious (instant cool points for any character) and deadly, cool and calm as he trails Milton and dispatching anyone who gets in his way without breaking a sweat. It's just business as usual for this Hell minion.
The film really has all the best grindhouse staples: gratuitous violence, T&A, awful dialogue, and car chases with plenty of explosions. The problem is, when a scene isn't giving us one or more of these things, it slows to a crawl and I kept losing interest. The dialogue is pretty terrible and any attempt at delivering exposition or expressing emotion falls flat. So keep it short and keep the pace moving fast to get us to the next action scene. In the end, the movie is just forgettable. It's fun enough to watch, but I doubt it'll be leaving a lasting impression with anyone. Not Cage's best, but at least it's not THE WICKER MAN. -
deeprise19881 May 2011Drive Angry is about a dead guy who is back to the earth for revenge. He has to save his grandchild and one person named Accountant from hell is chasing him to take him back. His name is Milton he has to search Jonah King who has his grandchild. Jonah King wants to sacrifice the little girl so that he could be immortal. He runs the religious group which believes in black magic kind of something.
In this all chase there is plenty of blood, violence and action. But movie feels boring and unbearable at several occasion. Action doesn't help to excite you and script goes nowhere. One of the disappointing movie of the year. -
KineticSeoul26 February 2011This movie really is one of those guilty pleasure types, where you know it's a bad movie but really enjoy watching it because of the crazy entertainment value. It also has a grindhouse feel to it as well, a very entertaining grindhouse type film. There is just certain elements in this movie that made it entertaining despite it having a bad script and not a very well crafted dialogue with one liners. When I first saw the trailer to this movie I already could tell it's going to be a bad movie, it looked like "Gone in Sixty Seconds" with a vengeance. The movie is ridiculous and absurd in so many levels, but for a movie like this that is one of the key factors why this movie is so enjoyable. Billy Burke is pretty good playing the cult leader but the most entertaining actor to watch in this movie is William Fichtner as The Accountant or the Devil's right hand man, he is great in this and I enjoyed every scene he was in. In fact I wouldn't mind seeing a prequel or a sequel to this movie where he is the main character. What I really enjoyed besides William Fichtner performance is the 3D effect, this is a movie that is well worth the extra cash to see it in 3D. The 3D is very well executed and used very well and added a lot to the entertainment factor. The sex scenes and nudity is very unique at times and kinda funny in others. Amber Heard is beautiful in this and hot, in fact I personally think the overrated Megan Fox has nothing on her when it comes to the level of hotness. Plus Amber Heard can act a bit better than Megan Fox, although she is pretty in other movies she is really beautiful in this. It's not a movie that should be taken seriously and it knows it's not going in a serious direction and does it well, with bunch of stuff that doesn't make any sense. If your looking for a good story you will be disappointed, but if your looking for a crazy and entertaining balls to the wall type of movie I recommend you see this.
7.6/10 -
kickassmonk9426 February 2011This has to be one, if not the worst films I've seen at the cinema.
I knew this wasn't going to be amazing, but come on it was so bad and made very little sense.
Nicolas Cage looked bored the whole way through , his worst acting job I've seen to date, I've now made the descision never to see any more of his films after seeing this and Knowing. He also had this ridclious hairstyle making him look like a Robert Plant lookalike to add to this ridiculous film, i swear his face didn't change the whole way through, just the same stupid expression muttering unexplained story lines.
You may watch the trailer n think "yeh this will be great , Nicolas cage n a blonde shooting people in a muscle car" no wrong. It turns out it is just some nonsense about the satanic worshippers and a guy breaking out of hell to get them, Really Nick? is this what level you've dropped too? I just have no words to describe how bad this was, at some points there is serious violence which is just stupid, and then its trying to be funny and it fails and then it trys to be meaningful.Just a blurry mess of rubbish.
This film also highlights why 3D needs to stop. As if 3D is a new cool thing? no its not, its about 50 years old, just because its better quality means nothing and adds nothing to the film, instead every 5 minutes there's a bullet or a axe flying at you, yeh great, but I've seen it over and over again. 3D is only being pursued because they know they can charge more for it and they can sell T.V's like they did with HD, well I'm sorry but 3D will not work and if you don't believe me go watch this film.
1/10 AVOID THIS FILM AT ALL COSTS, Don't WASTE YOUR MONEY -
claudio_carvalho14 March 2013In Colorado, the lonely Milton (Nicolas Cage) hunts down a gang of worshipers of a satanic cult trying to find where their leader Jonah King (Billy Burke) is. King has killed Milton's daughter and abducted her baby to sacrifice him at midnight of a full moon in Stillwater and Milton wants to rescue his granddaughter.
Milton reaches Oklahoma and finds that Stillwater is a deactivated prison in Louisiana. Then he helps the waitress Piper (Amber Heard) first with her damaged car and then he protects her against her brutal boyfriend. In return, she gives a ride to him to Louisianna. Soon they discover that a mysterious stranger called The Accountant (William Fichtner) is chasing them. What is the secret of Milton and The Accountant?
"Drive Angry" is a brainless, but also a highly entertaining movie with the trash story of a man that escapes from hell to save his granddaughter and is hunted by the reaper. There is non-stop action and havoc, with car chases; shootings; and the hot Amber Heard. The cast has Nicolas Cage, William Fichtner in a parody of the role of Alex Mahone in "Prison Break" and David Morse. My suggestion is to shutdown your brain and to enjoy this funny movie. My vote is seven.
Title (Brazil): "Fúria Sobre Rodas" ("Rage over Wheels")
Note: On 19 June 2015, I saw this movie again. -
Queer-qatfm28 August 2011While they say that fifteen minutes can save you fifteen percent on your auto insurance, by not wasting 104 minutes by watching Drive Angry, you might very well save your actual life. Nothing in this world makes me hurt more, dare I say, than a Nicolas Cage movie, which is probably why The Fat Man is so obviously in love with the man. Cage apparently shows up to the set of every single film he's in with this 'fuck it' kind of attitude to start and then works in 'the crazy' as the movie goes along. This time: It's all crazy! Drive Angry, which was released earlier this year, sported the fact it was filmed in 3D. While it might have been a marketing bullet point at one time, it doesn't seem like anyone is really enjoying anything in 3D these days. And I can hardly imagine it added any depth to this over the top, in your face, desolation game of cat and mouse between Ghost Rider and the leader of a satanic cult who killed his baby.
The dialog includes such gems as: "What kind of gun is that?" "The kind of gun you need to kill people like him." "And by shoot the tires, I mean aim for their heads." And my personal favorite, "My whole life has been about waiting. Waiting tables. Waiting for things to get better. Now it means something. I'm with you until the end." Of course all of these lines are spoken with absolutely no acting skills supporting them whatsoever. Cage is a complete hack and everyone knows it. The only roles he's ever "good" in are ones that utilize this without calling so much attention to it like a blazing neon sign of a bull being yanked by the balls. (Also in the movie.) Unsurprisingly, Amber Heard is completely useless except for maybe the chick fight aboard a Winnebago. And the only thing menacing about Billy Burke are questions about why he is wearing what appears to be red velvet in the middle of summer in the mid-west.
Yes there are explosions. Yes there is plenty of female nudity. In fact one scene that might have started to threaten to be cool is where Nicolas' character is having acrobatic sex with this bimbo and manages to kill multiple assailants. Unfortunately, instead of continuing to play it up for laughs, they decide to have her become traumatized by the event.
And that generally is where the movie fails completely. If you want to sell me on your undead vengeful father in pursuit of redneck cultists, I'm fine with that. But you have to stick with the tone you set. I mean what the hell was up with The Accountant anyway? And, you know, it wouldn't hurt to actually give your characters more personality than the cars they're driving. -
This goes way beyond "guilty pleasure" all the way to "must-see trash." Does everything that "Grindhouse" failed to do. Dirty, gory, violent, but never unpleasant from start to finish. Patrick Lussier keeps the action efficient and picturesque. Nicolas Cage in one of his only successful forays into the action genre. Amber Heard as a worthy and most attractive sidekick. David Morse and Tom Atkins expertly holding up the "oldster" side of the street. William Fichtner in a performance that would have been a shoo-in for a supporting Oscar nomination if the movie were respectable. But thank goodness--it's thoroughly disreputable. And did I say fun? Let me say it again: fun!
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cledbetter-214 June 2011Stuck on an airplane watching whatever movies they have on the system and this one shows up as a "New Release." So I start watching this and after about 20 minutes I just kept watching to see if it could get any worse. Well, it did. This is one of the most inane, embarrassing, pointless movies ever made. Just as an example of how stupid this movie is: At one point they need to "Hide the car because the law is after them." But the car won't run so they start pushing it to hide it somewhere. Except they're pushing it down a 4-lane Interstate Highway! Yea. Nobody will ever notice them doing that.
Nicolas Cage must be broke, on drugs, or have a load of alimony to pay to be making movies like this. Seriously, don't waste your time. If you're stuck on an airplane, watch anything BUT this one. -
NateWatchesCoolMovies21 November 2015Nicolas Cage Week: Day 2
Drive Angry is an hour and a half of beautiful, blissful exploitation and carnage, a grind house shot to the gut that never holds back, doesn't care an ounce about logic, and aims to do one thing: ensure the viewers enjoyment unconditionally. Nicolas Cage plays John Milton, a gruff badass who escapes from hell by literally charging his '74 Chevelle 454 right through the gate, hot on the pursuit of a roaming band of thugs who know what happened to his daughter and baby grandson. He wastes no second in pummelling both pavement with his tires and people with his fists, and pretty much any gun or blunt object he can get his hands on. His daughter was murdered, and his grandson kidnapped by a demented Louisiana satanist cult, led by eloquent monster Jonah King (Billy Burke, dryly subverting his nice guy image with evil aplomb). Milton aims to eradicate anyone and everyone who gets in his way, with the help of sexy Amher Heard and old pal David Morse. What he isn't prepared for is the arrival of 'The Accountant' (William Fichtner), the devil's suave, soft spoken bounty hunter, dispatched to bring Milton back to the fiery depths. Fichtner has always had an ice cool theatrical flair to his work, and he's the highlight of the film here, an unphased, silky prick, owning every moment with his unmistakable brand of cool. Tom Atkins also has a cameo as the worlds most enthusiastic Highway Patrol officer. The movie goes at full blast, and to go along with that energy there's a cheeky script that constantly nods at the viewer and let's us know what a fan of the genre the filmmakers are. Nowhere else can you see Nic Cage escape from hell, drink from the skull of his enemy and have a gunfight while in the middle of banging a bar waitress. If that isn't enough to get you excited, well... -
staff-577-37888225 February 2011Milton (Nicholas Cage), long hair bleached and greased back with vengeance, tosses his duffel bag into the back of newly-met stranger Piper's (Amber Heard) Dodge Charger. With her hands shoved into her daisy barely dukes, the uncertainty in her gaze is lost on, or possibly ignored by, Milton. As he opens the door to get in:
Piper: "I don't pick up hitchhikers, you know."
Milton: "I wasn't stickin' out my thumb."
*car door slam*
This early scene sums up exactly what you're getting yourself into with the Nicholas Cage driven movie, Drive Angry. You've seen the trailers. You've experienced Cage's knack to play unhinged, surrealistic characters. This 70's throwback to the pulp, metal on metal, grindhouse era of film doesn't ask you if you want a ride. You jump in without invitation and only know one thing: you'd better strap in. And it's with this that Drive Angry does not disappoint.
Milton, in his '64 Riviera, has just escaped from imprisonment and is searching for a baby snatched from her mother by a devil-worshipping cult hellbent on a full moon sacrifice led by Jonah King (Billy Burke of The Twilight Saga), a southernly sadistic soothsayer. It seems Milton's own daughter was once stolen from him by the same cult and, well, he's experiencing a little road rage as he shoots his way through one lead to the next. Along the way, he joins up with Piper and her '68 Charger who's pretty looks pack a pretty punch and isn't afraid to gun and run. All the while they are being chased across 6 state lines by trigger happy cops and The Accountant (William Fichtner of Prison Break), a seemingly supernatural hunter looking to return Milton to his warm, warm prison. Throw in a '71 Chevelle, unapologetic bloodshed, and absolutely necessary explosions, and you have one darkly comedic, action fueled vehicle.
Drive Angry embraces the fact that it is ridiculous by nature which makes it very enjoyable. The over the top dialogue, car chases, and 3D shootouts really add to making this a midnight moviegoer's film. Patrick Lussier and Todd Farmer (My Bloody Valentine 3D) aimed to keep the integral car sequences visceral and strayed away from CGI for a majority of the chases, though there is plenty of CGI elsewhere. Being an unabashed opponent to the influx of 3D in the cinema today, Drive Angry was filmed as a 3D film from the start and I actually liked it. Some shots were intentionally gimmicky which added to the humor, but the entire movie is a bit over the top and it flowed nicely.
Drive Angry makes no assumptions that it is anything but a popcorn-spilling, laugh-out- loud, violently raw roller coaster on its way no where near an Oscar. And it's better for it. If you don't mind having an arm shot and projected at your face while Nic Cage loses touch with reality, Drive Angry will provide an entertaining distraction from the repetitive daily commute.
3.5 seat belts out of 5
-MovieFloss.com -
A small but existent segment of the American population believes that any and all combinations of cars, guns and naked women make for the perfect care-free cinematic cocktail. But like any cocktail, there's a perfect blend required, not simply throwing them in a blend-er. Behold the difference between the "Fast and Furious" franchise and "Drive Angry." The former, for example, understands that women make the cars more beautiful, whereas Patrick Lussier, writer and director of "Drive Angry," believes that they go together because they're two things men like.
"Drive Angry" is not the awful kind of schlocky grindhouse flick, but it's completely hollow filmmaking. Shot in 3D, when you watch the film in the "inferior" two dimensions, you can tell the film was meant to be watched in 3D the way bullets and shrapnel come toward the camera. Fans of the 3-D medium who despise converted 3D will rejoice at the director's intention to use it, but this intention serves nothing more than the purpose of gimmick. In other words, cars, guns, naked women — and 3D.
Who better for the driver seat than Nicolas Cage? Sporting yet another hairstyle, Cage gets to play angry stoic man escaped from hell. Vengeance, of course, lies at the heart of any reputable exploitation flick, so at least Lussier and writing partner Todd Farmer understand their genre. The execution, however, comes off as amateur, especially in an age with folks such as Robert Rodriguez pulling off the genre in a modern era with more success — and humor especially.
Creativity for "Drive Angry" comes in the form of Cage's Milton shooting down several religious fanatics trying to kill him with farming tools — all while maintaining sexual intercourse with the waitress from the bar next door. That could be chalked up to a genre signature, but it doesn't serve any other purpose in the film. Usually the nudity or sex tells us something about the lone wolf lead character or adds to his mystique, but it really doesn't in this case. Milton's motivation is to get back his baby granddaughter from a Satanist cult that intends to sacrifice her. Having escaped from hell to do so and with Satan's "accountant" (William Fichtner) on his tail, his actions should be pretty clear-cut. After all, he doesn't even fall for the young blonde he's picked up for the ride (Amber Heard).
Heard represents that kick-ass feminist force in the male-centric exploitation flick. Piper vice grips her boss's balls when he puts his hands on her at work and then promptly quits, goes home early in her '69 Charger with "I Break for Pussy" on the bumper and finds another woman on top of her fiancé. I won't spoil what happens after, but this spirit creates the bond between her and Milton as well as a troubled past relationship between Milton and his daughter for which Piper provides a second chance. Heard will one day be too A-list and above this material, so she's refreshing in the role.
Fichtner, who plays the devil's right hand of sorts, also brings a fun performance to the film. He's not one of those typical self-assured villains in spite of his other-worldly abilities, but he possesses the same malice. The slightest sense of humility makes him a memorable character despite the cliché role. Billy Burke as Jonah King, the Satanist who fancies himself better than everyone else, goes a bit more over-the-top, but also makes an effective villain.
The action of "Drive Angry," though much more about guns and gore than cars, satisfies for the most part except when it kowtows to the 3D. For those not watching with special glasses, that sort of zaps you out of the story.
"Drive Angry" ends up being everything you'd expect it to be, provided you expected a 3-D camp-fest manufactured in a petri dish. There's definitely a place for those kinds of films, but the distinguishing factor between good and bad exploitation lies in disguising the man behind the curtain, the puppeteer or whatever force putting that product together merely to entertain at the surface level. "Drive Angry" entertains, but the failure to conceal prevents any investment into the story or characters.
~Steven C
Visit my site at http://moviemusereviews.com -
brad-5108 July 2011OMG and WTF is going on in the movie industry to release this ? $50M ? That must have been $30M to Nicholas Cage and I would like to think $20M to David Morse who had the good sense to only appear fora few scenes (which I am sure will not be on his current resume). For sure the writing, directing, camera-work, screenplay, effects etc etc were worth absolutely nothing. I could have made a better movie in a week with a handycam. It is a shame that I have to give it 1 star as that is 1 too many for what is the worst movie I have ever seen. (and believe me when I say I have seen them all). Do not waste 1 minute of your time with this film.
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hoofdklasse15 February 2011Let me first state that i don't really like Nicholas Cage. However in this movie it really didn't bother me all that much. So even if you're like me and don't like Cage you can still see this movie. ;-) On to the movie itself. It's a rather straight forward action movie with a bad-ass good-guy who chases a bad guy with and his supporters. Milton (Cage) has some history with the baddie and on his way to get to him he uses guns, big explosions and prefers travel by classic American muscle car. While doing so he picks up a hot chick (Heard) to accompany him on the road. That's basically it.
The reason i still give it a 7 out of 10 is that the action is pretty nice, most of the special effects are good and the story, although limited, moves along at a steady pace so you won't get bored. Fichtner's side character is also quite cool. The things a don't like about the film are some cliché dialogs with silly one-liners and the feeling that the makers aim for cult status. Too bad the movie isn't good enough for it, but if you hear a title like 'Drive Angry' you expect a simple action movie and that's exactly what you get. Always nice from time to time. -
goldenstateguy27 February 2011it is horrible. painful to sit through and watch. 3D effects are minimal, no need to make this movie in 3D except to charge higher ticket prices. acting is really bad, story line is weak and never very clear, fight scenes are very unrealistic, no bruising or marks of any kind after horrendous fight sequences. Nicholas Cage must need money badly to be in such a poor production for someone of his talent and standing in Hollywood. do not waste your hard earned money on this film. we never understand why his grandchild is so special. some effects are cool and some great explosions but that's where the good stuff ends.
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Nicolas Cage has gained a reputation for playing all kinds of characters with all kinds of backgrounds with all types of personalities. These range of behaviors have covered the banal, to the deranged. Nicolas Cage knows no bounds when it comes to acting. People love and hate him for both his dramatic performances as well as his idiotic ones. During the early 2010's, Cage was on the border of his popularity. He was still getting cast into films that were guaranteed to get a larger release, yet he also signed onto films that got less notoriety. Only some of which were critically well received. Much of them on the other hand failed to make their money back or leave any kind of an impression. Of them though, one action film that kind of went under the radar that should have gotten more attention was this feature. There have been plenty of hard R action films that contained enough interesting characters and witty humor to keep things going. Yet the premise to this movie feels fresh in ways others have no shown in a while.
Nicolas Cage plays John Milton, a dead man who escaped from the underworld to rescue his granddaughter from a satanic cult worshiper by the name of Jonah King (Billy Burke), who killed Milton's daughter. On his travels Milton gets the attention of Piper (Amber Heard), a wanderer looking for a purpose. All the while the devil's right hand man known as the accountant (William Fichtner) is looking to retrieve Milton and bring him back to where he belongs. Written by Todd Farmer and Patrick Lussier, the two seem to have taken what feel like a mix of different characters and made them into one. As an end result, the story is not the most unique, but it serves its purpose in creating likable characters. Patrick Lussier also directed the film, who has mainly served as an editor to other projects like Scream (1996) and two sequels after it. Todd Farmer has been more of a writer to movies like Jason X (2001) and My Bloody Valentine (2009). The real problems in the script are abrupt motivation changes and an unclear backstory.
Nicolas Cage as John Milton gives a familiar performance but nevertheless, the way the Milton character comes across is comical. So many lines are stated with such deadpan, it's hard not to laugh. So many things happen to Milton that he just rolls off, it becomes quite entertaining. William Fichtner as the accountant is another comical individual. The moments the accountant shares with other cast members is humorous just for the fact that nobody understands his purpose, which frustrates him. Also the fact that Amber Heard does not play a love interest to that of John Milton is a plus. Not every protagonist needs to have someone to fall in love with. As portrayed in the running time, Milton has no time for that. Billy Burke as Milton's enemy plays a fairly considerable opponent. He's not afraid to get his hands dirty and does not hesitate to kill. Burke is also known for playing in Lights Out (2016) and in the Twilight (2008) series. For supporting characters there are also appearances by several others.
These characters do not affect the plot in any real way, but they do bring some recognizable faces to the show. David Morse plays a friend of Milton by the name of Webster. His sarcasm is about an equal match to Milton's. Jack McGee has a small role as Fat Lou, the owner of a local diner. He has a funny exchange with the accountant. Also, Tom Atkins shows up to play the head of the police department. It's a role that only Atkins would easily fit in to. The action and special effects are well handled here too. The violence in this film vary with all kinds of sequences. Sometimes people are shot with guns, others are run over by vehicles and some suffer worse than that. Those kills are normally attributed to the accountant, since he is the most supernatural character in this story. The thing is, although it looks like he's having fun doing it, he comes across more inconvenienced. With these types of kills are the blood and gore, which looks pretty good. Gore fans should be well satisfied here if they want guts.
Working as the cinematographer to this project was Brian Pearson. For majority of the movie, Pearson's work was great looking. Hardly any of the action scenes involved shaky cam and much of it helped in the pacing of the experience. The lens used wasn't a wide angle but it was large enough to get the full scope of the surroundings. Pearson also worked on movies like The Fear: Resurrection (1999), Final Destination 5 (2011), Into the Storm (2014) and Insidious: Chapter 3 (2015). Topping things off however was the musical score composed by Michael Wandmacher. The film score has a unique mix of a hard rock guitar theme for Milton and a southern sound for Piper. There's also hints of horror cues that sound very close to typical stings. Being that Wandmacher also produced music for Punisher: War Zone (2008) and Piranha 3D (2010), it's no surprise this guy can combine both genres together with no problem. Thankfully a release of the score is available so anyone can listen because it is a lot of fun.
This may not go down in Nic Cage's career as the greatest movie he's made, but it sure is an enthralling one at that. There aren't many things to find wrong in this production other than a few minor holes in its writing. The action, camera-work, and music all coincide together to create an engaging experience. Plus the actors seem to be having a lot of fun in their roles. -
christian-125-5988585 August 2011this movie really disappointed. so full of plot mistakes and errors that I almost skipped the end.
it's a shame really that Cage degrades himself in these movies now days.
the movie doesn't explain it self in the beginning and you have to guess a lot of the background of the characters
A lot of the character more act like a video game style and not realistic. The main side kick despite being beaten up numerous times never ever as shown with impeccable makeup... Cages performance is his usual but doesn't really have to assert himself..
See? No not really.. waste of a 1½ hour... -
Hey_Sweden13 January 2013One admonition that this viewer heard before deciding to watch "Drive Angry" was that it was suffering from the "trying too hard" syndrome; in this case, the film is trying too hard to be an instant cult favourite. That's kind of hard to argue, as it works overtime to establish an air of cool and a lot of style, while all the time pretty much winking at the audience.
Nicolas Cage plays John Milton, a lowlife who's literally escaped from Hell and roars down highways in pursuit of a creepy-ass cult leader, Jonah King (Billy Burke). You see, King and his cult have already BRUTALLY murdered Miltons' daughter and have abducted his granddaughter, intending to offer the child up as a ritual sacrifice. And hot on Miltons' heels is an emissary from Hell referred to as The Accountant (William Fichtner).
Right from the start, co-writer / actor Todd Farmer and co-writer / co-editor / director Patrick Lussier let those of us in the audience know that we're going to be taken on an intense and corpse-littered ride. They keep the movie rocketing forward, and the tongue in cheek tone is always present, with frequent one-liners from Cage and a silly approach taken to some of the kill scenes. And speaking of Cage, one can't help but notice that his performance isn't plagued by eccentricities, and is actually more restrained than they'll expect.
He gets very effective support from the smoking-hot Amber Heard, who sears the screen as his feisty sidekick who always puts up a good fight. The under-rated Fichtner is a standout as the relentless bad (?) guy; he plays the part with wit and personality. Familiar faces among the supporting cast include David Morse as Miltons' old buddy Webster, Charlotte Ross as comely waitress Candy, the always welcome Tom Atkins as "Cap", and Jack McGee as diner owner Fat Lou. Ross and co-star Christa Campbell add additional, much appreciated eye candy; Lussier and Farmer keep up the trademark that they established in their "My Bloody Valentine" remake of protracted, gleefully gratuitous nudity. (One highlight has Milton taking out several villains while still in the embrace of Candy with whom he'd been having sex!)
The digital and 3D effects are plentiful, always throwing things right in your face. The pacing is fast and furious enough to make sure that viewers don't ever get bored. They're also likely to be laughing loudly and often, what with all of the general grisliness and mayhem.
Overall, "Drive Angry" is not destined to become something iconic, but it's an amusing diversion and there are much worse ways to spend an hour and 45 minutes.
Seven out of 10. -
twilliams7614 July 20112011 is NOT Nicolas Cage's year for cinematic meaning and/or significance as Drive Angry is yet another GAWD-awful film from the Oscar-winning actor who also just gave us the bubonicly-bad Season of the Witch. As a matter-of-fact, the last FEW years haven't been overly kind to Cage's resume -- G-Force, Bangkok Dangerous, Knowing, Next, Ghost Rider, The Wicker Man, The Lord of War, Astro Boy ... as his "bright spots" have actually been few and VERY far between and include The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Kick-Ass and the two National Treasure films. The latter, better ones are "merely good" and/or enjoyable while the his others are ALL dreadful stinkers who's "best moments" are "barely tolerable".
While Drive Angry is relentless and the punches/bullets come one-after-the-other, I found that it all became rather monotonous and a lot of the "killing" became meaningless and obsolete (not the best description of a high-octane thriller).
Cage stars as a hard-nosed felon who has broken out of Hell (yes ... hell) ... who's name is Milton. Hahaha ... right?!? His name is supposed to imply that the movie shouldn't be taken too seriously; but Drive Angry has a difficult time sustaining even THAT joke. An all-powerful devil/demon is played by Billy Burke (Twilight, Red Riding Hood) who appears to be even less-powerful than the film wants the viewer to believe ... it is all rather perplexing and odd (it still has me scratching my head).
Drive Angry doesn't remain consistent with its fury ... at times the anger is only tepid ... and that keeps the film from working on its stupidly ridiculous level. Throwing-in such a questionable female lead (Amber Heard - Zombieland, The Joneses), the film leaves it's viewer more angry than the "driver" in the film. If the film's main character is a Hell-escapee, there should be plenty of road-rage, fury and scorn (PLEASE bring it on!!!); but there isn't much ... as he is simply upset/peeved at times (and this just doesn't cut it). He is very mild-mannered for an Escapee-of-Hell. -
If you've seen the trailer you know what this films about. A Grandfather everyone thought was dead is out to save his baby granddaughter from the clutches of a gang of devil worshippers. Thats the plot in a nutshell and you don't need to know anymore.
This film is really a throwback to the old 70's revenge movies. The dialogue is purposely cheesy. The violence is over the top. There's nudity and gore and a few laughs to be had along the way. Nicholas Cage gives another fine unhinged performance delivering these cheesy lines like he was doing Shakespeare. Amber Heard as the sexy sidekick is just as good, but possible the best performance is from William Fichtner as the accountant. The music is loud the gunshots louder and the 3D is great all the way through.
For me it had a similar feel to the crank movies and planet terror. It was just stupid fun and I loved it. -
The film's marketing material from trailers to physical copy action up to promises something pretty.
Many promising actors, Cage, Heard, Fichtner among others. In part, it works. Interesting plot, etc. But still, this potential movie is missing a lot. Especially the final scene .., as if the budget ran out in the middle. So after a promising start, everyone somehow slips down.
So I looked at this for the second time. The memory image was something better, the third time will not come. -
abedelkader14 March 2011Some good visual effects, mixed with comedy. Multiple sex scenes and nudity. . .
But ultimately the plot is lacking, extremely predictable, oh and guess what its all 3D, and again I had to put those annoying scopes just to see like 10 minutes of exciting 3D animation !
My Rating is 4, rent in a weekend when your bored maybe this movie will appear exciting and thrilling, but there are better movies in the theaters.
Oh and p.s: Amber Heard is really hot, Nicholas cage isn't doing his best. -
thegurubase28 April 2011There are no words to describe this movie. If there is something worse than terrible, then this is it. Probably the worst 'graphics and special FX' I've ever seen. The storyline could not be dumber, if that's even a word. And the 'acting' is pitiable. One would expect more out of a Nick Cage movie. The first 20 minutes into the movie and you know that you'll probably have more fun scratching at your throat with a pen.
Amber Heard, as usual, is hot beyond words. That's probably the only reason why I sat throughout the horror, that is, the movie. I could go on and on about how this movie really redefines the meaning of the word 'lousy', but hey, the 2 hours of my life that I lost on this movie is enough time lost. So yeah, don't watch this movie if it's the last thing you do. -
zardoz-131 March 2011Although the latest Nicolas Cage epic eclipses his previous potboiler "Season of the Witch," "My Bloody Valentine" director Patrick Lussier's "Drive Angry" qualifies as a fast-paced, campy, white-trash, B-movie thriller about a gun-toting fugitive fresh out of Hades who struggles to save his infant granddaughter from a Satanic cult set on slaughtering her. Blood-splattered, babe-strewn, and bullet-riddled, this half-grilled collection of grindhouse clichés delivers non-stop action that you've seen before in better movies like "Shoot'em Up," "Crank," and "Machete." The only ounce of originality in this hard-boiled, hare-brained hokum is a melodramatic motel room massacre. A half-clad Cage in sunglasses, clutching a fifth of Jack Daniels in one fist and an automatic pistol in the other, mows down a mob of murderous miscreants as they storm into his room. Just to show how incredibly cool that our hero is under fire, Lussier and co-scenarist Todd Farmer have his adversaries barge in on him in the middle of a tryst with a naked cocktail waitress. Of course, the deafening gunfight traumatizes the poor tramp. Meantime, our imperturbable protagonist misses nary a stroke until his pistol clicks on empty, and the last thug stands poised to polish him off. "Drive Angry" is a supernatural saga with cars careening around in a "Dukes of Hazzard" demolition derby without a modicum of realism. Nevertheless, despite all its audacious abandon and above-average 3-D photography, this contrived, R-rated fantasy lacks a shred of genuine suspense. Wholly predictable as well as pedestrian from start to finish, this contrived Cage road rage serves up drivel for dialogue and muscle car stunts that pale by comparison with the "Fast & Furious" franchise.
"Drive Angry" opens in Laughter, Colorado. Our enigmatic hero, John Milton (Nicolas Cage of "Face/Off"), has miraculously managed to escape from Perdition. No, we're neither told how he accomplished this feat nor the consequences he now confronts. When we first see him, Milton is behind the wheel of a hot rod with an automatic shotgun. He runs down three repellent ruffians who work for the sadistic satanic cult leader Jonah King (Billy Burke of "Twilight") so he can learn the whereabouts of his infant granddaughter. King murdered Milton's daughter and son-in-law and wields her femur as a walking stick. King is leading his minions to a derelict prison in southern Louisiana to sacrifice the child during a bizarre full moon ritual. Just to show that he is serious about his aims; Cage blows one thug's hand off with a blast from his shotgun. He shoots another thug in the leg and threatens to turn his thigh into ground chuck if he doesn't talk. Naturally, the wounded man divulges King's destination.
During this opening gunfight, our hero loses his car and winds up afoot. He trudges no farther than a roadside diner where he catches a ride with a nubile waitress, Piper (Amber Heard of "Pineapple Express"), who has just quit her job because her lecherous boss got fresh with her. Piper is cruising home to her out-of-work boyfriend when her 1969 Dodge Charger overheats and comes to a halt. As if on cue, Milton shows up out of nowhere, takes a gander under the hood, and then tweaks something. In no time flat, they are heading to see her sweetheart. Earlier, Piper had boasted to another waitress about how she had cut her boyfriend off from having sex with her until he proposed marriage. Imagine Piper's surprise when she finds Frank (Todd Farmer of "Jason-X") in bed bumping another beauty. A bare-knuckled brawl between Frank's slut and Piper erupts, and Pipe finds herself at Frank's mercy until Milton intervenes. She agrees to drive Milton to Louisiana. Along about this time, another mysterious individual makes his entrance. A man in a suit and tie who calls himself the Accountant (William Fichtner of "Heat") is after Milton and plans to take him back. Milton and the Accountant engage in a game of cat and mouse throughout "Drive Angry." Although they appear to be adversaries, the Accountant helps Milton out of some pretty tight predicaments, particularly a sheriff's roadblock where an army of lawmen plan to shoot our hero to smithereens. The Accountant likes to toss around a magical coin that can either change into FBI agent credentials or a deadly weapon. Indeed, he throws it at a bad guy, and it sinks half-way into the brute's forehead and kills him.
"Drive Angry" comes by its R-rating naturally. The F-word is uttered about 75 times in a variety of variations. When the women aren't displaying ample cleavage, they are parading around as naked as jaybirds without a qualm. The violence is somewhat extreme. At one point, we see the villainous Jonah brandish a straight razor and slash a man's throat. Although the blade is never shown penetrating flesh, the filmmakers show a geyser of blood splashing a nearby wall. Hands are blown off. Heads are cut off. A baseball bat is used to skewer a man's torso, and the unhappy hooligan writhes in agony as he is pinned to a wall. The ultimate act of violence occurs when a heavy is disintegrated by a so called 'god gun' that deprives the individual of his soul so he can neither land in Heaven or Hell. Our triumphant hero guzzles a cold beer from the dead man's shattered cranium. Ghoulish as all this sounds, Lussier and Farmer play everything for macabre laughs. Indeed, nothing in "Drive Angry" is remotely realistic. Unfortunately, virtually everything is so phony that it provides little in the way of catharsis. You know an action movie is in trouble when the demise of the chief villain yields no relief. "Drive Angry" steps on the gas but winds up going nowhere in the long run.