Story: After a confrontation with an unstable man at an intersection, a woman becomes the target of his rage.
Unhinged is every thriller of the last decade condensed into one thrilling joy ride. This has every cliché you've come to expect, and most characters are just there for exposition or to be a victim. So from the opening, you know how it's gonna unfold and how it's gonna end. Knowing that might mean a difference as to how you feel afterward.
Seeing Unhinged reminded me of two Halle Berry driven thrillers: The Call & Kidnap. All 3 deal with a mother dealing with a situation (that situation being psychopaths) out of their reach while trying to save a life. Only this one has an edge which sets them apart as those other two are tame in comparison.
First of all, this is Russell Crowe's (Gladiator) show through and through. This role was written specifically for him and he's fucking ruthless. I don't think I've seen a performance this year that made me hate a guy so much as him. He's pretty great as a self-righteous homicidal maniac. He's allegedly a douchebag in real life so this works for him.
Caren Pistorius (Cargo) is an actress I've never paid much attention to but she carries the film well opposite Crowe. She starts off as a reckless but caring mother trying to live through the day. As we get closer to the climax she grows as a character and becomes the expected tough final girl in a showdown that's damn intense.
Gabriel Bateman (Child's Play) handles himself very well, especially during the more intense moments. I sense he's onto big things. *Spoilers* I was actually surprised by how much shit he's put through as kids in these types of movies usually come out unscathed. *End of spoilers*
After a cool opening (ruined by the trailers) that sets the mood for the whole running-time, we rarely ever stop for air. We meet a couple of side characters to move the plot forward and our female lead gets into wild set-pieces that I won't spoil. There's a lot of road rage. I'm actually very impressed at how vicious this gets. I was not expecting that at all.
Unhinged is a type of movie that's been done to death but there's a lot of energy here. It's mean, aggressive, thrilling, predictable but ultimately entertaining. Russell Crowe clearly looks like he's enjoying himself.
There's something to be said about how we've grown increasingly hostile towards each other. How little empathy we have. How we're usually so trapped in our silly little worlds that we forget to walk in the other's shoes.
Watch the trailer:
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