Directed by Derrick Borte, Unhinged follows a young woman (Caren Pistorius) and her son who are harassed and stalked by a seemingly unstable stranger (Russell Crowe) following a road rage incident.
So this is my first theatrical watch in many months, and this was another out-of-nowhere film with a rather simple premise that came to my attention due to the buzz about Russell Crowe’s performance and the character he plays. And after seeing it myself, I can understand why.
This is a flawed film but it turned out much better than it had any right to be, especially with Russell Crowe pretty much carrying this movie and making it entertaining, chilling and engaging. It was never boring and it had my interest throughout. Russell Crowe absolutely commits to his performance, which I absolutely loved, and it certainly was something new to see from, him after having been seemingly absent from the spotlight for a while. He plays a man who has basically gone through a lot of shit, all within one day, and unlike other villains in films who try to avoid getting caught for the crimes they commit, this guy here absolutely gives no fucks. He has nothing to lose and he even outright says that he has no problem getting shot by the police, and he does anything he wants.
So there are no restrictions and no rules which makes for a very compelling and terrifying movie villain, and honestly perhaps one of the best movie villains of the year. )Also, he is never named in the whole movie, showing that this could maybe happen to anyone.) Part of it is thanks to Russell Crowe’s performance, and the writing by Carl Ellsworth, who also wrote the film Red Eye, which was also a one-day thriller.
Making a film that happens in one day is not an easy task from a writing perspective, because it has to avoid making choices that defy logic, and still keep the audience engaged. Unfortunately this movie does suffer from that as certain characters make dumb as hell choices in the the film that I know will be infuriating for some people.
The protagonist played by Caren Pistorius also has a good performance, and she also has some bad things happen to her in the film, prior to encountering Russell Crowe’s character, that makes for an interesting theme of how two people who have had the worst days of their lives deal with it in their own way. I do wish that she had a bit more to do in the film.
As far as technical aspects go, this movie isn’t anything super special, but in terms of cinematography there are some pretty great shots that really set up the tense atmosphere and add to the thriller aspects of the film. The music is also pretty good overall and adds to the intensity of some scenes.
It’s a rather campy film that is not meant to be taken too seriously and just wants to have some fun, which honestly I was ok with. It might not be to everyone’s taste, but I enjoyed it despite its issues. It felt refreshing in some ways, and I am glad it’s the first movie I got to see theatrically after months of quarantine. I’m going to give Unhinged a B.
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