Driving Straight Outta Hell!

Nicolas Cage hasn't exactly been setting the world of cinema alight in recent years, in fact he's been in his fair share of stinkers with none more so than the god-awful remake of The Wicker Man. Holy shit that was bad. What I want is the Cage that tore up the screen in movies like Wild at Heart and Face/Off, the bad-ass persona he can play so well. The good news is that this is a return to form, but it is by no means a one man show. Pretty much everything about Drive Angry hits the mark.

In Drive Angry Cage plays John Milton, a man on a mission, a mission to hunt down the Satanic cult and its leader Jonah King (Billy Burke) in order to rescue his Granddaughter from their clutches and avenge the murder of his daughter. The whole time Milton himself is persued by a sharp dressed man known only as The Accountant (William Fichtner). Along the way he meets a hot young lass named Piper (Amber Heard) who tags along for the ride. Cue car chases, naked bodies, murder, mayhem, guts and gore, all in 3D and all just about as much fun as is legally possible in an hour and 45 minutes.

Drive Angry is all about having a blast while watching a movie, right from the start with a short narration about bad-ass motherfuckers you can pretty much gauge what the tone of this movie will be. Cage himself is spot on as the vengeful father and Amber Heard impresses no end in her role as the feisty Piper, however it is Fichtner who steals the show here, he drops one-liners for fun and chews up every scene he is in. His is definitely one of the most fun performances I have seen in years. Fantastic stuff! On top of that though there is a solid supporting role from David Morse as Milton's old buddy and Tom Atkins kicking ass as a tough as old boots police captain. It was great to see him back on the big screen and taking no prisoners.

A cast is only as good as the material they are given to work with though and here the writer/director team of Todd Farmer and Patrick Lussier come up trumps. There past work has been a mixed bag in my eyes, their most recent work being My Bloody Valentine 3D, which was pretty good fun for the most part. Here though everything just slots into place perfectly with even Farmer himself popping up as a right royal asshole. The pair obviously had a great time making this flick and it does indeed show on the screen. This is an old school style road movie slammed in the blender with exploitation stylings and dragged kicked and screaming into the 21st century.

The fact that this was shot in 3D didn't really make any difference to me as it would have been fun regardless, such as the redux of Piranha was. Here though it is used to good effect with the carnage flying off the screen at you, at the same time though not taking your attention away from the film itself.

Drive Angry is without a doubt the most fun I have had at the theater since I saw the aforementioned Piranha. It is pure escapism and is meant to be enjoyed as an over the top rollercoaster ride. Do not be fooled into thinking there is a hidden depth to this movie, although I am sure there is if you want to find it. Just kick back, grab a beverage of your choice and enjoy this ass-kicker of a movie.

Welcome back Mr Cage, I think you owe some thanks to Messrs Farmer and Lussier for dragging your career out of Hell. If not I am sure Fichtner will kick your ass!