Unhinged
(Solstice Studios/Ingenious Media)
By Lucas Allen
Road rage can be a common occurrence on the road, when a simple case of bad driving can turn deadly. The new thriller “Unhinged” shows what happens when deadly road rage gets deadlier in the hands of an ordinary psychopath. When you watch this movie, think about the next time you come across a problem on the road, especially from any random driver.
Down on her luck after losing her salon job, newly divorced Rachel (Caren Pistorius) is running late to drop off her teenage son, Kyle (Gabriel Bateman) at school before meeting with her best friend/lawyer Andy (Jimmi Simpson). When she enters the freeway, she runs into traffic. Stressed, she tries to break through before driving past a big gray truck. Unfortunately, that truck is driven by a man (Russell Crowe) who the night before committed murder and arson on his ex-wife.
When the man confronts Rachel and her son, demanding an apology, she tells the guy off and goes on with her day. But that’s not the end of it — she is stalked by the man and chased through the streets of New Orleans. He also stole her phone and uses her contact list to threaten the lives of her family and friends as part of his deadly game.
Though she did try to get the police’s help, she still has to protect her son and survive the wrath of the murderous man.
If you’re hoping a running commentary on the recent pandemic of raging Karens and gun-toting men, then this movie is not going to give you the same entertainment as the videos on social media. It’s simply a B-movie made from a C-script with an A-actor going above and beyond such quality.
This film mainly depends on the actions of the evil man and how his presence affects the main character. How you feel about Rachel’s stock family drama can determine your emotional connection to her situation as the movie goes on. All in all, it’s an R-rated serial killer film slam banged into an episode of “A Million Little Things,” and it works pretty fine for what it is.
Another thing that makes it a fine thriller is the healthy amount of chase scenes on the road, with some frightening crashes. The stunt driving team really put out all the stops for a modestly budgeted film to create chaos on the scale of “Mad Max.” However, some of the action scenes suffer from shaky cam and it becomes disorienting for any average viewer. Sometimes it helps to see everything that’s going on, and this story is simple enough for some steady camerawork.
But the real reason to see this movie, especially on the big screen with theaters re-opening, is Crowe giving the most terrifying performance of his career. The Oscar-winning actor unveils his darker side, giving his character an evil charm and some vicious charisma whenever he appears on screen. This no-name villain helps make a big impact on everybody’s deepest fears about being on the road and being stuck in traffic. When you look at it, this guy is like Jason Voorhees, only without the hockey mask but with a voice and the same imposing figure.
Both Pistorius and Bateman are merely serviceable to the film and delivers good enough acting while being outshined by Crowe. Crowe helps make “Unhinged” a watchable thriller, with the star devouring the material through and through. It’s not a great film by any stretch of the imagination, but you could do worse like anything you’ve come across in streaming. At least the re-opening of theaters across the state will get us prepare for more anticipated titles coming out the rest of the year.
THE MOVIE’S RATING: R (for strong violent content, and language throughout)
THE CRITIC’S RATING: 3 Stars (Out of Four)
