Sympathy for the Devil

For some, the promise of Nicolas Cage playing a psychopathic, red-haired Bostonian is simply irresistible. The actor has delivered many entertaining performances as mad characters in the past, from his turn as the chaotic yuppie Peter Loew in 'Vampire's Kiss,' to the criminally insane Castor Troy in 'Face/Off'. Cage has made his bread and butter- and garnered legions of fans- delving into the mind of crazed characters, as he does yet again in Yuval Adler's 'Sympathy for the Devil.'

The film follows David Chamberlain, a married man living in Las Vegas whose wife is in the hospital, having just gone into labour. As he arrives, a scarlet-haired menace with a gun climbs into the back of his car, demanding that he is driven to Boulder City. With a gun to his head, Chamberlain is taken on a journey into fear through the Nevada nightscape; a journey that can only end in violence.

Adler's 'Sympathy for the Devil' is a fairly predictable, though entertaining, thriller that will please Cage fans considerably. Essentially a two-hander, the narrative is slim on originality or surprise, though still keeps one engaged. It is a tense affair, the passenger's unpredictability making for some effectively thrilling moments. Screenwriter Luke Paradise seems to have tailored the dialogue for Cage, giving him some marvellously madcap monologues, which he spouts with his typical nouveau shamanic, Western Kabuki brilliance (nouveau shamanic and Western Kabuki, for those who may not know, being Cage's self-titled acting styles).

However, Joel Kinnaman- as Chamberlain- gets considerably less to do. His character is the grounded parallel to Cage's deranged villain, a stoic man lacking personality or charisma. A wet blanket, he is hard to root for in the face of Cage's magnetic mania. Though Kinnaman performs admirably, and shares a good chemistry with Cage; he does not deliver a memorable performance. Moreover, the cliches that abound throughout the film become quite tiring, leading to an ending as forgettable as it is underwhelming.

Conversely, Steven Holleran's cinematography is a neon-soaked feast for the eyes. Atmospheric and striking, his work compounds the narrative tension. He captures the seedy unease of the Las Vegas night astutely, lending proceedings a Lynchian mood of sleazy agitation. This is complemented by the production design from Burns Burns, as well as Ermelinda Manos's costume design and Anthony Fitzgerald's art direction and set decoration.

Furthermore, Ishai Adar's score contributes to the sordid, mysterious tone, as does the eclectic and evocative soundtrack, making great use of songs from the like of Scott Walker, Alicia Bridges and Jimmy Radcliffe. It is also a well-edited picture, with a good pace from the beginning. At just over an hour and a half, it is relatively short, although Adler and editor Alan Canant's work ensures it doesn't feel in any way rushed.

As alluded to above, despite its faults- predictability chiefly among them- it's a film Cage fans will love. As the erratic gun-toting passenger, he is terrific, clearly having a ball with the material. It's a classic Cage performance- full of unexpected vocalisations, shouting, creepy facial expressions and a little bit of song and dance. He is electrifying to watch and works well with Kinnaman, who- as previously mentioned- is perfectly adequate, though his role doesn't demand much of him.

In short, Yuval Adler's 'Sympathy for the Devil' is one that Nicolas Cage fans will enjoy, though may leave those who do not appreciate his work, unmoved. While Steven Holleran's cinematography is striking, and the soundtrack- as well as Ishai Adar's score- complements the atmosphere, the narrative is unfortunately cliched. Joel Kinnaman's character is also dull and the ending disappoints. In conclusion, while Nicolas Cage is great, the film around him doesn't live up to his talents.

I liked it better than the reviews would have me believe. If you are a fan of Cage's overacting style, you will love this movie. Cage plays the part very well as you would expect from him, but Joel Kinnaman was a really good lead too. The soundtrack is really, really good. It fits the tone and atmosphere of the movie very well. With a running time of about one and a half hour you won't get bored, the main story unfolds fast, and although the plot is quite predictable the journey towards it remains intriguing enough. All in all a very entertaining movie, and a must-see if you are a Cage fan like me! 7/10.

It comes from the less known Israeli filmmaker Yuval Adler, who has a few class B movies in his pocket, a mystery thriller.

Fright night (a great freaking night, as Nicholas Cage likes to say) under the lights of Las Vegas

Starring Joel Kinnaman and Nicholas Cage, who is also producing, we are grabbed from the opening shot music and scenes of a moody typical night in Las Vegas,but you know,what happens in Vegas? As the story follows David,a caring family man (Joel Kinnaman), as he is preparing for the big night of his second child birth,but then gets mysteriously caught in a rough game with an unhinged stranger (Nicholas Cage) with red dyed hair to match the suit that goes with it.

As the unknown passenger switches between the seats from the back one to shotgun, you get the feeling that it's about to come down tonight while the cards start facing up, slowly building up the tension and stress throughout its 90-minute running time.

With the least unnecessary scenes and a good soundtrack, you're treated to a solid performance from Joel while he anxiously struggles to unravel the past as the clock is ticking, and Nicholas Cage's outstanding acting and terrific facial expressions as he throws cheesy but catchy classic lines and shows off with his smooth-ish dance moves and singing, and an awesome Cage Rage moment with his roof-bursting temper. Both of them carry the film to an acceptable direct ending at the moment that the screen is burning with exploding molotovs.

Similar to Michael Mann's Collateral from 2004 in many ways, with a lower budget and vibes like in Ryan Gosling's Drive from 2011.

Sympathy for the Devil delivers a good watch to enjoy while making you wonder: what does the sound of screaming rabbits seem like?

Nicolas Cage gives his expected over-the-top charismatic performance, and is the only reason you may finish watching this poorly paced 90 min predictable slog with nothing really new to offer.

This film has some intense moments, but ultimately, the story is too tired, cliched, predictable, and goes no where - as though the filmmakers are making it up as they go along. You'll find yourself just sitting around until Cage can go wild, wondering if the Mucous Man was really sprinkling boogers in the writer's creative juices as this screenplay was being written.

There was no devil in the details of this script, and the only sympathy the devil deserves should be given to anyone viewing this mess. It's a very generous 5/10 all going to the two leads who gave it their best shot with what little they had to work with.

This movie answers the question that nobody asked: "What if we did Collateral in the desert, with Nicolas Cage and a boring script?".

I know the comparison may not be fair, I mean, the only common threads are a guy with a gun enters a stranger's car, threatens him with a gun and asks him to drive, leaving a chaotic path behind him.

The makers of this movie try to hold the audience captive, by making us think why the bad guy is doing what he's doing, but honestly, the lines are so bad and the twist is so weak, that not even Nic and Joel can save the story.

By the end of the movie, you are left with two unlikable characters and an unsatisfactory conclusion.

Honestly, this feels like a short story, stretched out to a full length feature.

Having said that, if you just want to see Nic Cage's "Caginess" being let out once in a while, you do get to see it, I just don't know if it's worth wasting 1h30 of your life for that.