Some people don’t care for the work of Nicolas Cage. I get that.
But I like him because he’s an excellent, versatile actor who can
do drama, comedy (even self-parody), action and, most notably,
whack job. Anyone can emote off-the-rails batshit, but rarely with
Cage’s subtlety. You see, he’s mastered the art of just straddling
the loco line, apt at any instant to erupt into violence. And he
seems to be having a great time here doing it. If this makes some
moviegoers uncomfortable, here’s the thing: Nic doesn’t care.
The thin plot here has a guy listed only as “The Driver” (Joel
Kinnaman) just parking at a hospital where his wife is going into
difficult labor, so it’s not really a good time for, say, a man
referred to as “The Passenger” (Nicolas Cage) hopping into the
back seat, pulling a gun and telling him to drive.
There ensues a rather predictable cat-and-mouse series of escape
attempts, fisticuffs and senseless killings as we try to understand
what the destination is and who, exactly, these two guys are. The
final, ironic “twist” can be seen coming for miles. Let’s be clear.
This is not a very good movie. But while off-putting, it’s never
boring and succeeds in giving the unhinged-Cage fans exactly
what they want. (90 min)