film reel image

film reel image

Wednesday, November 18, 2020

Unhinged 2020 * * * Stars

IN UNHINGED, RUSSELL CROWE IS DYNAMITE. HECK, YOU COULD EVEN PUT MEL GIBSON IN THE LEAD TOO FOR KICKS

"What's this guy's problem?" I'll tell you. He's a sicko with a 4x4 pickup and he is played by Russell "I just put on fifty pounds" Crowe. Crowe's character doesn't have a name. Yeah well neither did the sadistic, faceless truck driver in Spielberg's Duel

Anyway, Unhinged is my latest review. It features Crowe as the psycho to end all psychos in a flick that makes you readily question honking your horn. As a guy who is full of motorist frustration and a whole lot more, Crowe comes at you like the Terminator with a rather vile chip on his shoulder. The opening scene where he kills his family with a hammer while burning their house to the ground is early proof of that. 

Released on August 21st of this year with a hasty running time of 90 minutes (that's being generous), Unhinged is depressing, merciless, desperate, and savage. It's probably the wrong movie for 2020 but I saw it anyway. Directed by a guy looking to upset the viewer while making no apologies (German Derrick Borte), Unhinged is just as much a thriller as it is a snuff horror film. If it didn't have the power to make me effectively squirm and question my morals, I would have totally written it off (no pun intended). 

Featuring some brisk, streamlined car chases and filmed almost entirely in New Orleans, LA (a popular shooting location these days), Unhinged blurs the lines of good taste even for an R rated endeavor. It's about a mother and son who get into a road rage incident with a mentally unstable brute (Crowe in full on beast mode). Unhinged while farcical in its approach, is still pure evidence that even in broad daylight no ordinary denizen is safe. Off the "hinges" and Mendoza Line recommendable. 

Written by Jesse Burleson

No comments:

Post a Comment