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There’s just something about Nicolas Cage’s wild, convulsive, devil-may-care performances that make his movies—especially his action movies—strangely irresistible. No matter how ridiculous the plot may be, Cage gives it his all, immersing himself in whatever laughable role that he may find himself playing. And it’s that all-out dedication—mixed with director Patrick Lussier’s equally unyielding commitment to extreme cheesiness—that makes Drive Angry so much fun.
Cage stars as Chad Kroeger lookalike John Milton (which, incidentally, is a pretty deep literary reference for such an outlandish thriller). A tough guy with a dark past, Milton has broken out of hell, determined to get revenge on Jonah King (Billy Burke), the satanic cult leader who killed Milton’s daughter and kidnapped her infant daughter.
Milton has just a couple of days until the full moon—when King plans to sacrifice the little girl in one of his dark rituals—so he hitches a ride with Piper (Amber Heard), a feisty, out-of work waitress who’s heading out of town in her cheating ex-fiancé’s ’69 Charger. But they’ll have to drive fast—because Milton is being tailed by a dark and mysterious man known only as The Accountant (William Fichtner).
From the earliest lines of the film’s opening narration, it’s pretty obvious that Drive Angry isn’t one of those ridiculous action movies that spoil all the fun by taking themselves way too seriously. No, everybody involved in the making of Drive Angry was in on the joke. They were all well aware of the supreme cheesiness of it all—everyone, that is, except for maybe Amber Heard, who does an impressive job of playing it straight as the hot chick who’s not afraid to kick some serious ass. The rest of the cast, meanwhile, hams it up to perfection—especially Fichtner, who’s absolutely brilliant as the strong, silent, and oh-so-slick Accountant.
Everything about Drive Angry is absolutely, positively extreme—from the corny writing and overdone performances to the cheesy effects and grindhouse-worthy violence. It’s loaded with the kind of I-can’t-believe-they-just-did-that moments that will have you cringing and laughing at the same time. There isn’t much to the story—but what it lacks in plot, it makes up for in hot chicks, cool cars, and gun-toting, blade-wielding redneck cult members.
Of course, this kind of extreme action movie insanity definitely isn’t for everyone. Those with a weak stomach and/or discriminating taste will most likely be offended by its gratuitous sex, violence, and bad acting. But as long as you can embrace its over-the-top silliness—like Cage and Lussier obviously can—you’ll find that it’s an extreme guilty pleasure.
Blu-ray Review:
If you happen to own a 3D Blu-ray player, by all means, pick up Drive Angry in 3D—because it’s sure to add another dimension of absolute insanity. Still, the 2D version comes with a couple of extras—including a commentary track with writer/actor Todd Farmer and writer/director Patrick Lussier and a pair of short deleted scenes with optional filmmaker commentary.
You can also choose to watch the film in Access: Drive Angry mode, which adds all kinds of interviews, trivia, and more crazy fun to an already extremely entertaining experience. It allows you to choose which features you want included—and you can even skip forward and back from one feature to the next.
This may not be the kind of movie that compels people to sit down and listen to a commentary track, but Farmer and Lussier are almost as entertaining as the movie itself. So if you’re watching for the second (or third) time, give the Access: Drive Angry mode a try.
