“SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL” (2023) | Film Review

Reference to Jackie Chan: none available

Cage can be Cage

All cats are grey at night. You could also say that anyone who hangs around Las Vegas at night is dirty. An interesting film theory when you consider that every character in this somewhat different road movie can become a shady one.

JOEL KINNAMAN plays the driver in ‘SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL’ (2023) and is trying to get to his pregnant wife in the emergency room when he is kidnapped in the car park.

NICOLAS CAGE becomes the passenger the driver is trying to get rid of. A cat-and-mouse game begins, a stage play on the road. Visually appealing and staged in the neon style of Las Vegas with complementary contrasts of red-green and blue-yellow.

A smooth soundtrack actually creates a relaxed atmosphere. If it weren’t for the one thing that is unspoken in the room or travelling in the vehicle interior as a stowaway: Where does the passenger want to go?

Cage can be Cage. The mid-point in particular shines with memories of ‘VAMPIRE’S KISS’ (1988). But just before the film lets Cage completely out of the cage, the director pulls the handbrake and manages a clever plot manoeuvre. Viewers will be amazed at how Cage, as a ticking time bomb, tries to lure his driver out of his reserve.

An exemplary script, solid realisation and a cast that can carry the plot. A 90-minute film in which every minute is well invested, even if afterwards you may think ‘there could have been more’.

A likeable 7 out of 10 stars

Original trailer | “SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL” (2023)

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