November 14th, 2012 
Justin Proper 
For The Love Of Film is a weekly column from film nerd and lover of all movies Justin Proper. Sometimes you need some help to figure out how to enjoy movies, and we are here to help! No longer will you need to fear movie night because your friends have no taste in film. With this column you will be able to love even the worst gems to ever grace the silver screen.
Week two of Nicolas-Cage-November is upon us! If you missed it make sure to check out Dane’s column here, as he is also celebrating this cinematic holiday. Nicolas Cage did not start his career making action movies. He started out trying more serious roles, and after he won his Oscar all bets were off. It was time for Cage to start trying action movies, as he had clearly proven he was the best dramatic actor there was (at least in 1995). This was the start of a great era of action, and it has continued to this day with Drive Angry.
Shotgun + Cage = Awesome. You can’t argue with math.
In Drive Angry Nicolas Cage is John Milton, a guy who is SPOILER back from hell to rescue his granddaughter from being sacrificed by a cult. This happened because Milton’s daughter got mixed up in the cult while she was alive before being brutally murdered by the cult leader. Along the way Milton teams up with some girl (she literally has no real relevance) who is probably only there to give the audience some eye candy.
She achieves “eye candy” status quite well.
Action movies come with a lot of common complaints, and Drive Angry is no exception. Some critics have found it to be a “tedious waste of time” or have likened it to “watching incredibly explosive paint dry”. Wait, do they make that? Explosive paint? That sounds awesome!
His brush strokes really…blew me away. YEEAAAAAAHHHHHH!
The critics are just flat out wrong on this one. Not only is there enough plot to keep the story moving, it is also interesting and there are a few times where I found myself on the edge of my seat in suspense. OK, not literally, but you know what I mean. In addition to John Milton trying to save his granddaughter before the cult kills her there is a man after Milton trying to bring him back to hell. There are more than enough interesting characters and stories going on to warrant a watching of Drive Angry.
What is more interesting than a guy with an eye missing?
Drive Angry is also full of amazing action. While it may seem like a “by the books” revenge action movie, it actually is much more. All the action staples are there (car chases, shootouts, etc.) but they have all been amped up to a completely absurd and amazing level. There are not just gunfights, there are gunfights while Nic Cage is having sex with a woman. You read that right, Nic Cage has a shootout while mid-coitus.
Shoot a guy, bang a skank, or drink whisky? Why not all three at once?!
Drive Angry is really Nic Cage’s peak action-ness in terms of acting. More-so than even Ghost Rider: Spirit Of Vengeance, this film brings out a side of Cage that few actors can even hope to approach. He is so absolutely convincing as John Milton that I would not be surprised in the least if he had actually escaped from hell to make this movie. Actually, that would make a lot of sense, especially considering the fact that recent evidence supports that Cage is actually immortal.
I’m fairly certain he is a Time Lord.
Do yourself a favor and check out Drive Angry if you have not seen it. If you have seen it then I would guess you are already making plans to watch it again tonight after remembering how great it is. Remember to wish all your friends a happy Nic-Cage-November so you can get presents from Jolly Old Saint Nic Cage on the 31st or something. Really we are just making up this holiday as we go along. Next week I will remind you why Vampire’s Kiss might be the greatest movie about insanity ever made. And for all the people out there wondering when the bees are coming, fear not, I have a plan.
- UTG’s 31 Days Of Halloween: ‘Nymphomaniac’ - October 6, 2014
- MOVIE REVIEW: ‘Noah’ - March 28, 2014
- MOVIE REVIEW: ‘Nymphomaniac’ - March 25, 2014
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