Movie review: 'Sympathy for the Devil' muddles tense scenario – UPI News
LOS ANGELES, July 24 (UPI) — Sympathy for the Satan, in theaters Friday, establishes a sound premise with two compelling leads, however spins uncontrolled earlier than the viewer can get too invested.
David (Joel Kinnaman) is on his approach to meet his spouse within the Las Vegas hospital, as she’s going into labor with their second youngster. Whereas stopped, a passenger (Nicolas Cage) will get in David’s backseat and holds him at gunpoint.
At first, the passenger appears to only want a driver. It might be simpler for David to only go together with it, besides that he must get to the hospital instantly.
The passenger takes David’s driver’s license, which might stop him from checking into the hospital amongst many different issues. The passenger additionally forces David to take pleasure in his card methods as a type of intimidation.
Cage has solely performed outright villains in a number of films like Kiss of Loss of life and Face/Off. So, the function of the passenger provides him one other alternative to use his flamboyant efficiency to a threatening character.
Sympathy for the Satan provides the passenger an intimidating look with a pink blazer and hair to match. Cage flashes a maniacal grin and hints of a gentle Boston accent.
Sadly, the passenger’s mania appears random, which can be a disturbing psychosis in actual life, nevertheless it’s not essentially the most compelling cinema. It reduces David and the passenger to a easy good man and unhealthy man with little nuance.
The passenger’s assortment of outrageous conduct is so arbitrary it’s laborious to be genuinely disturbed by it. The passenger imitates Edward G. Robinson, sings Alicia Bridges and dances.
The excuse to be flamboyant undermines the risk. It turns into much less about antagonizing David and extra about simply performing.
Cage gave an identical efficiency in Vampire’s Kiss, however that film explored that character’s breakdown. Cage stays entertaining to look at, however the film loses focus of his perform within the story.
Kinnaman retains up David’s finish of the drama. David is accommodating sufficient to remain alive, but in addition searching for a approach out.
David makes a number of escape makes an attempt however clearly he isn’t going to get away within the first half hour so the movie is simply going by means of the motions, stalling. Plus, the passenger gave the sport away that he isn’t going to kill David.
Additionally, as soon as the passenger has David drive them outdoors Las Vegas, the place does David suppose he’ll go and not using a automobile? It is all distant.
The passenger ultimately reveals the explanation he selected David. With out spoiling it, the reason makes the complete sequence of occasions appear pointless.
The passenger had a gun within the backseat. He may have come clear, or achieved so at the very least as soon as they had been outdoors The Strip.
Sympathy for the Satan had the potential to be a decent “all-in-one-night” thriller. The forged is sport, however sadly the script fails to maintain up the tete-a-tete at some stage in the movie.
Fred Topel, who attended movie faculty at Ithaca School, is a UPI leisure author based mostly in Los Angeles. He has been knowledgeable movie critic since 1999, a Rotten Tomatoes critic since 2001, and a member of the Tv Critics Affiliation since 2012 and the Critics Alternative Affiliation since 2023. Learn extra of his work in Leisure.
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