by Ben Davis
The movie theater going experience has been all but non-existent in 2020. With the worldwide pandemic hitting hard in March of 2020, it has really slowed down the roll out of the big tent poles we’re used to seeing around this time. For someone like me—and for most of those reading this review for Unhinged—movie theaters are where we go to escape from day-to-day life and experience it through someone else’s shoes. Going to the cinema is a transformative experience. Whether it’s a superhero, a swashbuckling pirate, a family drama, a good ol’ rom-com, a sci-fi epic, a fantasy extravaganza, or a crazy psychopath stalking you with his car in a fit of road rage, there’s nothing quite like going to the movies to experience them the way the artists making them intend them to be seen. Movie theaters mean the world to me, and I personally can’t wait for us to be able to return safely to our favorite theaters to join each other as brothers and sisters for the enjoyment of the theatrical experience again.
Speaking of movies about psychopaths stalking you with his car in a fit of road rage, that brings us a film that has been delayed several times due to the pandemic, Unhinged. A film directed by Derrick Borte, written by Carl Ellsworth, and staring Academy Award winner Russell Crowe and Caren Pistorius. The plot follows Rachel Hunter (Caren Pistorius) as she is being harassed and hunted down by Tom Cooper (Russell Crowe), an unstoppable mad man dead set on making Caren “say she’s sorry” after a road rage incident. It is up to Caren to “evade” his every move and try to think one step ahead so she can put an end to this man who is seemingly at the end of his “road”.
Unhinged is an intense, fast paced, gritty, and very fun and flavorful B-movie. it leans into exactly what it is, but sometimes that can be to its determent in terms of its characters, its surface level commentary on today’s society, and the clichés in the plot that movies like this often fall victim to.
The one thing about with Unhinged I kept thinking about was how I was always on the edge of my seat. This movie, much like its main character, is like a runaway train that just won’t stop. It’s that intensity level that constantly kept me biting my nails and entertained. Unhinged also has this B-movie quality to it that makes it very fun and engaging and feeling like the type of pulpy horror/suspense film one would catch in the late 80’s. A lot of credit I give to the writer, Carl Ellsworth. He’s the writer behind such films that I admire like Disturbiaand Red Eye and he brings that same energy he brought with those films to Unhinged and it really paid off to my enjoyment.
Another big pay-off for this film is the casting of Academy Award winner Russell Crowe as Tom Cooper; a man who is at the end of his rope and passed the point of return and reason who will stop at nothing to make the life of our protagonist a living hell. Russell Crowe, in my opinion, is one of the greatest actors working today. Whether he’s a gladiator in Rome, a man trying to takedown big tobacco, or a brilliant mathematician, Russell Crowe always delivers. Unhinged is no different, as Crowe guns it to 88mph with an incredibly intense performance that you can tell that he absolutely relishes by channeling his inner Max Candy. It’s his performance as Tom Cooper that really anchors this film and kept me fully engaged with its story and clutching my seat. Caren Pistorius is also quite good in the film as Rachel Hunter, a single mother trying her best, but always seems to let down those closest to her. Her performance is easy to root for and that’s because Pistorius comes across as very relatable in the film, I just wish she had a bit more to do.
That brings me to my complaints in Unhinged. The characters—aside from Tome Cooper–are a little one-dimensional and aren’t given a whole heck of a lot to do with their respective roles. There’s still enough for me there to care about the characters, I just wish there was more.
Unhinged also finds itself at times trying to have deep observations/commentary on today’s society that comes across as heavy handed, surface level, and takes away from the overall B-movie tone that makes this movie enjoyable. It really just comes across as a poor man’s attempt at a grand message to the film.
There are some logic issues with some of the characters actions in this film that irritated me as a viewer and had me pulling my hair out. There’re times in Unhinged where I’m seeing characters do things that make zero sense and defeat all purpose and logic, but these issues largely plague this genre of film and can be looked at as a minor annoyance and nit-pick as the movie is still so enjoyable.
Overall, Unhinged lives up to its title. It’s an intense and flavorful thrill ride anchored by a balls-to-the-wall performance by Russell Crowe that—despite its weaknesses—is still a highly enjoyable time at the movies.
Grade: B