UNHINGED
This was a film that I originally had no interest at all for. I never planned on seeing it, until a friend told me that she thought it was something that I would really like and go for. As is obviously the case, I decided to trust her and give “Unhinged” a shot, and man, I loved every second of the damned thing.
“Unhinged” is a lean, mean road rage thriller that is packed to the gills with suspense, action and vehicular carnage, not to mention there is also no shortage of blood splattered across the screen too. It is an unabashed genre effort, that is not ashamed of what it is. It does not try to come across as something that it is not, not pretending to be something intellectual or profound, this is adrenaline pumping kinetic cinema at its finest, and it is a whole barrel of fun. The action starts right from the get-go with a brutal murder in the opening scene and it does not let up until the credits start rolling.
The fact that the film has been so well put together elevates it in regards to other similar films in the thriller genre. All the characters have been rounded out and are well drawn, you care about them and worry about their safety. The action scenes, particularly the ones involving vehicles, have been well choreographed but importantly, are all believable, which makes the danger feel that much more real and immediate. What I was most surprised about the film though, and was not expecting was the level of brutality that is on display. Blood is spilled here and in generous quantities too, but somehow, it never feels overly gratuitous and works within the tone set for the film.
All of that is great, but the main reason “Unhinged” works so well is Russell Crowe. He is outstanding in his role, giving his all to this demented (and unnamed) man. He is at his most intimidating and terrifying here, and he does it all in such an unassuming calm manner that is really unnerving to watch. He constantly talks in a quiet manner, but it always comes across threateningly. You really feel for the plight of Karen and her son, Kyle, the two unlucky people that have crossed the path of this unstable man, and feel they have no chance of survival against him. Whilst Karen looks frail compared to Russell Crowe, she turns out to be less of a pushover than he expects, surprising herself at times too. Karen is played by Caren Pistorius and she is likewise excellent in the role. She commits 100% to the character, first appearing weak and intimidated before standing up and fighting for herself and her family. She also keeps the film grounded in a reality, and you believe everything she does because she is never given a task that would be deemed impossible or unbelievable if this happened in a real setting.
Another aspect that I loved about “Unhinged” was that it had a short running time. It didn't feel the need to pad the film with unnecessary subplots. Director Derrick Borte obviously understood that a film like this works best in a short burst. Dragging it out longer than it needs to be only succeeds in diluting its strengths and he also trusted the film he was making was strong enough without any side stories, which I applaud. Too many films these days go far too long, but this is something that “Unhinged” is not a victim of. It does have two little flaws though, but the fact that I loved this film so much and that they were so minor, I didn't let it affect my enjoyment. The first issue I had with the film was that as good as Caren Pistorius is in the role of Karen, I never bought the fact that she was old enough to have a son as old as Kyle is in this film. She is far too young, and I think the film would've worked just as well if they changed it that Karen was the older sister to Kyle rather than his mother. Yes, this bothered me a bit during the film, but Pistorius is so strong in the role that I let it go eventually. The other thing that bothered me was the terrible one-liner that was said towards the end of the film by one of the characters. It was such a Hollywood moment that it made me go “Ugh!” and I really wished it was edited out, because it really was a “movie” moment and took away from the reality of the moment.
Anyway, that is minor nitpicking, as “Unhinged” was such a great thriller, that at times borders close to a horror film. It is anchored by a brilliant performance from Russell Crowe, that sees Rusty at his intimidating best. He terrified me in this. From initially being a film I had no interest in, “Unhinged” turned out to be my guilty pleasure of 2020. I recommend it wholeheartedly to anyone looking to just have some fun at the movies.
