UNHINGED – A Review by John Strange
Think about a man pushed past the brink of sanity, losing his family to divorce, possibly exacerbated by drugs. Add in a woman, also pushed to the limit by a bitter divorce, trying to keep her family together and losing the battle step by step, inch by inch. The two interacting is a recipe for disaster.
Rachel Hunter (Caren Pistorius) and her son Fred (Austin P. McKenzie) are late getting Fred to school… again. Rachel has developed a habit of oversleeping and now Fred is facing detention for a third tardy. This leads Rachel to try every trick she can to get through rush hour traffic jams to beat the tardy bell, getting more agitated with each red light.
Then comes the moment when a light turns green and the pickup in front of her fails to move forward. Angry, she slams her hand on the horn once and then once again. When the truck still fails to move, she angrily moves around it and through the intersection.
When the truck driver, Tom Cooper (Russell Crowe), comes alongside Rachel’s car, he tries to apologize and to get Rachel to do the same. He sounds very calm and friendly doing this. Until an angry Rachel flatly refuses to apologize. Then, the gloves come off and the central plot kicks in as the demon in Tom takes over and the horror ensues.
The story has a fast pace and the action is realistic but frightening (especially the car crashes). Tom is totally around the bend and determined to punish Rachel at any cost.
There is only one problem with this film, I didn’t like ANYONE.
This isn’t a death knell to a movie, but it does lower the enjoyment. Unhinged is a well-made film, it just wasn’t to my taste. That left me rating this film 3-stars. It will do well with some audiences, but the majority will only go because it IS the first new release to hit the theaters for their re-openings.
Director: Derrick Borte
Cast: Russell Crowe, Jimmi Simpson, Caren Pistorius, Gabriel Bateman, Austin P. McKenzie, Anne Leighton, Michael Papajohn, Lucy Faust, Sylvia Grace Crim, Stephen Louis Grush, Gregory Hobson, Brett Smrz, Juliene Joyner, Devyn A. Tyler, Michael Randall
MPAA Rating: R (for strong violent content, and language throughout)
Selig Rating: 3 Stars
Runtime: 90 Min.
Movie Site: www.unhingedmovie.com
Trailer: UNHINGED – Official Trailer Starring Russell Crowe (HD)
The Selig Rating Scale:
5 Stars – Excellent movie, well worth the price.
4 Stars – Good movie
3 Stars – OK movie
2 Stars – No need to rush. Save it for a rainy day.
1 Star – Good that I saw it on the big screen but wish I hadn’t paid for it.
