Drive Angry 3D follows Milton (Nicolas Cage), a hardened felon who has broken out of hell in order to save his baby granddaughter from being sacrificed to a satanic cult, led by the man who murdered his daughter, Jonah King (Billy Burke).
Teaming up with young sexy-smart waitress, Piper (Amber Heard), Milton must put the cult to an end while outrunning the advances of an enigmatic killer known only as The Accountant (William Fichtner), who is sent from hell to bring Milton back.
Patrick Lussier has elevated his My Bloody Valentine craft to an even trashier level, with the accentuation on uninspired tones, sexy woman and fast cars contriving that 70’s exploitation feel, throwing carnage at the screen with delirious exuberance.
He keeps the pacing tight, conforming to the ticking clock aspect of the plot and lets the film advance along on a never-ending cascade of fistfights, gunfights, explosions and snarky banter.
However, no matter how much blood and bare flesh grace the screen, Drive Angry, especially in it’s third act, is left feeling lifeless and padded at times, mainly due to the slapdash script, never quite matcheing the success Quentin Tarantino reached with his magnificent Death Proof.
The 3D element serves its purpose by immersing the viewer in the world and seldom being distracting, but it never adds anything or reinforces the overall viewing experience to compensate the heightened ticket price.
Cage, in a role similar to the one he played in Ghost Rider, looks tired, acting throughout with a glazed expression that implies he simply isn’t enjoying himself or has any belief in the source material, which, in turn, withholds the film from reaching its true potential.
Heard and Fichtner triumph over Cage in every way; getting the best dialogue, having the most convincing physical presence, and purely playing characters that are entertaining to watch.
Drive Angry 3D is easy, somewhat fun weekend viewing. Simple as that.
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