‘Unhinged’ a vicious thriller just right for uncertain times
This film doesn’t pull any punches. Neither does it pull any kicks or stabs.
Consider that a warning. Then consider this: I’m not a huge fan of violence in movies. But I’ve found the stylized violence of, say, the “John Wick” films or “Sin City” to be quite entertaining.
Yet “Unhinged,” a 90-minute study in relentless, senseless, brutal violence, caught me unaware and, instead of repelling me, gripped me and left me breathless, exhausted and, surprisingly, entertained. And it’s anything but stylized. It’s intense and savage and vicious.
A few critics have already called this a film that’s
NOT for our times, that a story about mental health issues and unfettered rage is the wrong thing to be watching in these days of real-life confusion and turmoil. I can’t speak for those critics or the general public, but I found that my time watching the mayhem of “Unhinged” proved to be an escape from our mad world, a time where all I had to think about was rooting for the good guys and against the bad guy — a very bad guy, I might add. It would be fair to call him a monster.
That monster is the grim, nameless fellow played by a chunky and very tired-looking Russell Crowe who, in the film’s opening scene, is shown to be a man who’s already lost his grip at the end of his rope. It’s 4 a.m. He’s sitting in his gray pickup in front of a suburban house. He approaches the front door with a large hammer, breaks his way in, kills two people, sets the place on fire, and drives away.
All of that is before the opening credits.
Needing a break already, I was relieved that the film cut to a somewhat happier place and atmosphere: the home of about-to-bedivorced Rachel (Caren Pistorius) and her son Kyle (Gabriel Bateman). She’s a bit scattered and there are money woes. He’s worried about detention for getting to school late again — she’s his ride. But they’re tight as mother and son.
The tension is back when the freeway is jammed and the side roads aren’t much better, and Kyle is moaning about being tardy and Rachel is thinking about too many things. It gets turned up a notch when a red light turns green and the driver in front of them doesn’t move, and Rachel starts angrily honking. Then the camera reveals that the person she’s honking at is at the wheel of a gray pickup. Yeah, it’s THAT guy, and he doesn’t like being honked at.
And so begins a tale of a woman who’s having a bad day and a guy who’s having a much worse day — and wants this honking upstart to understand what a bad day is really all about.
There will be comparisons to Steven Spielberg’s 1971 film “Duel,” about a man in a car who angers a man in a tanker truck. But beyond there being two vehicles and dangerous games on the road, there’s no resemblance. “Duel” is a drive in the country. “Unhinged” is a journey in terror.
The gist here is that the troubled nameless man wants an apology from the frazzled Rachel, who apparently never apologizes for anything. What results isn’t just road rage, it’s pure, uncontrolled, unadulterated rage. Crowe’s feverishly furious character decides that exacting revenge is better than an apology, and he will take it out not on Rachel, but on the people who are most important to her.
Some nicely scripted plot devices let helpless Rachel know what’s happening to her loved ones as numerous unspeakable acts of violence are being committed. I can’t think of another role where Crowe has been this frightening, as he easily moves back and forth from speaking in a menacing whisper to roaring out curses. At one point, he’s even growling.
This is a film that’s devoid of any humor, that’s mean and lean and never stops shocking. It’s an angry movie that really did steer my mind away from real-world problems. It definitely is a film for our times.
“Unhinged” opens theatrically Aug. 21. Please check the website of your local cinema for safety guidelines during the pandemic.