ST. LOUIS — The unwritten rules of the road are something human beings have a hard time practicing.
I'm not talking about the speed limits and stop signs. There's the aggressive lane change/tailgating sequence and even worse, the highly aggressive usage of the horn. Early on in Derrick Borte's suspenseful and taxing "Unhinged," Caren Pistorius's protagonist, Rachel, goes honk-crazy on Tom Cooper (Russell Crowe, reinventing himself again).
Tom isn't the kind of guy you want to be rude to. There's blood on his shirt, he looks overworked by life, and he may have killed two people last night. Whenever there was a time for some light horn work, this was it. Rachel's seemingly rageful if humanistic actions spark a day-long battle with Tom, one that becomes extremely violent and tragic. I don't want to spoil much of the entertaining ride Borte's film takes you on. That would be like describing the effects of a roller coaster from a distance; a closer look while being fed the description would do the trick. This film thrives on uncomfortable adrenaline, one that serves the audience an over-chilled can of red bull for 90 riveting minutes.
Please don't confuse riveting with smart. "Unhinged" unwisely opens with a mirage of recent and old car-related violence and riots. Not the best chess piece movement of the year for sure. Then again, this film doesn't seem to mind its irreverence. Carl Ellsworth's lean and mean script isn't pulling any punches, so there's no time for the movie to look up while delivering such jarring shocks.
The look and energy of the film are the tires that this thriller runs on. The cinematography is expertly crafted, pushing us around and forcing our nerve endings to take heavy fire. Throughout the duration of this film, the audience is treated like Rachel. We are at the mercy of Tom's rage, and beginning to wonder if she will see the end of it. "Unhinged" doesn't provide any assured grace for its characters, treating them more like authentic bystanders of life's wrath. Make no mistake, there are lots of brutal men (and women) like Tom out there. One look at the newsreel should tell you all that is required to understand the deranged state our world is currently in. Borte's film basically shines a light on the uglier side of things.
I like that Rachel isn't painted as an angel. She's made plenty of mistakes in life, and wouldn't be classified for the world's greatest mom. A reckless driver who tries to make up for lost time due to oversleeping by torpedoing through other cars. A method that works until she runs into Tom. Pistorius does a fine job of leveling off Rachel's rage with an underlying derivative outlook on life. She knows a divorce and down-slope in her career aren't back-breakers, but she's running out of hope little by little. Something that plagues our antagonist deeply.
We never get to find out all the dirty details about what exactly turned Tom ballistic, but with an actor carrying Crowe's level of talent, there's no need. Once you see Crowe's eyes and brute physicality, the message of terror and bad things downloads into your system instantly. It's another unique stride in the actor's arsenal, one that hasn't missed too much of a beat over a career spanning awards and acclaim. Crowe has played men broken bad, but Tom is something sinister. Let me tell you something. He goes there. Crowe doesn't give us a half-measure of a mad man. He goes all the way to crazy town. It's Crowe's convincing portrayal that provides the fuel needed for this film to thrill and entertain. Rachel could have played by the greatest actress, but the script is bent towards Crowe's lost soul.
Every good duel needs a grand villain, and Crowe and menacing as the terror here.
There were a couple of good surprises too, along with some slower scenes to allow Crowe to unfold his performance in between road raging in a truck. The film didn't feel the need to supply a background on either character, letting co-stars and the story give you hints as the movie unfolded. In this kind of B-movie candy land, you don't need a blueprint and a map. Just thrill me for 90 minutes.
That's what "Unhinged" does. One bad day with Crowe's big, bad wolf is enough to entertain just about anyone who craves the movies. At the end of the day, it is an entertainment industry, one more ruled over by audience satisfaction than shiny trophies. "Unhinged" was designed as some kind of "Falling Down" tribute, and it succeeded.
Yes, Russell Crowe, I was entertained.
