- Director: Yuval Adler
- Writer: Luke Paradise
- Stars: Joel Kinnaman, Nicolas Cage
A family man, David Chamberlin (Kinnaman), is on his way to the hospital to join his wife for the birth of their next child. Whilst trying to find a car park, the car is jacked by a mysterious man (Cage). He tells David to drive, and from here on out, it’s his rules or people die.
Playing at the Fantasia International Film Festival and then in cinemas on the 28th of July – Sympathy For The Devil is a neat little thriller that does tread on the toes of a lot of other films. This isn’t saying that Sympathy For The Devil is a copy, just that you’ve seen certain elements in other films.
Kinnaman plays Chamberlin as a very reserved man, which plays off well against Cage’s expected nuttiness and wild gestures. The entire film is just these two, seemingly playing a game with each other. Cage’s mysterious stranger is absolutely certain that David works for a gangster, and he is bringing him in to see his boss. David is absolutely certain that he has the wrong guy. The fun of the film is finding that out and watching for signs, however ever slight, that leads you to think that someone isn’t telling the entire truth. Cage as always gives 100% but this seemed like a greatest hits tour. A weird Boston accent, crazy hair and Cage crooning along to songs whilst violence happens around him, at one point he scolds David for being a downer and exclaims “I wanted to be 100% sex tonight!”, this a throwaway, ‘cool’ line, in the context of the film means nothing, however Cage always tries to give it (and lines like it) more gravitas or meaning and you have to appreciate that.
Alder does a good job and keeping the film moving at decent clip, the fear in what is mostly just ‘two guys in a car’ film, is that it could be become stale, but Paradise’s script and Alder’s direction work well together, they both understand the kind of film they wanted to make.
This film definitely has some good moments and there are some very tense scenes. Unfortunately, it doesn’t hold this tension or unease for long enough in the film, still it is always fun to see what Cage does and Kinnaman holds his own. Worth a look.
Played at Fantasia International Film Festival
In cinemas on the 28th of July
Ryan Morrissey-Smith
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