'Unhinged' Review: Russell Crowe's road rage thriller will leave you gasping for breath and not in a good way
Spoilers for 'Unhinged'
In Russell Crowe's latest action thriller movie 'Unhinged', he plays Tom Hooper, a deranged man who embarks on a road rage so intense that you will dread honking at the car in front of you the next time you're on the road. His victims are countless as he pursues one unfortunate woman Rachel Flynn (Caren Pistorius), who passes by him at a signal and decides to show her "what a bad day really is".
And that's it — that's pretty much what the movie is about. After Tom and Rachel's confrontation at the signal, he immediately pursues her ensuing chaos, destruction and mayhem, whatever you might want to call it. Soon enough, Tom's road rage takes a turn for the worse and he holds everyone Rachel has close and dear at gunpoint.
'Unhinged' definitely has an intensity factor to it. The movie keeps you glued till the very end. To give credit where it is due, the movie is a thrilling watch from the very start as cars crash into one another and Rachel runs for her life, even though there are plenty of moments where it seems unrealistic. How can this one angry man be so invincible that law and order cannot contain him even after he has burnt down his ex-wife's house?
How is this man driving around so brazenly without any consequences whatsoever? While 'Unhinged' keeps you invested, it will also draw a lot of exclamations for its ridiculous snowballing.
Crowe as Tom is, simply put, terrifying. As an emasculated man, he is out on the streets for revenge of some sorts — to prove a point about himself and, well, his masculinity. Over the course of the movie, he talks to Rachel in the same way that he would have expressed his anger on his ex-wife — referring to her divorce and the lawyer.
He considers himself and her ex-husband Richard peas of the same pod who are tricked by a philandering wife and her cunning lawyer. And there goes her friend Andy's life (Jimmi Simpson in a small appearance).
Directed by Derrick Borte and written by Carl Ellsworth, 'Unhinged' is not a story about a woman surviving a mental, vindictive man. It is really about a deranged man who is without redemption or regret about his actions. Throughout the movie, all Crowe feels is anger as he pops one pill after the other, reducing him into a caricature of his own character.
Therefore, even with its intense shock value, 'Unhinged' falters. Borte and Ellsworth have made a decent watch with Crowe at the center of it all — a thoroughly watchable antagonist but not one audience can root for. As for Rachel, if ever a woman has made bad choices, it is this one right here.
Watch 'Unhinged' for its engrossing direction and (ridiculously) violent lead. There's nothing more to this hour-and-a-half-long movie. The movie is now available on VOD.
