Good morning, House of Madness hostages:
A looooooooooong way back I previewed this film, so if you'd like to go back and read my initial thoughts with a synopsis, please click here.
There's a reason I always tune in whenever I see a new Nicolas Cage project, because whether the source material is bad, the script sucks, or in some cases both, Cage is never the reason the film doesn't work. If you had asked me 10 years ago about my thoughts on Cage, they'd be vastly different from the ones I have now, as I've grown to have a massive appreciation for the man's hard work and dedication to each role he takes on. What I used to view as a simple 'cash grab', I now view as a man that just loves his craft, and uses his talents as often as possible. Whether he's doused in blood or simply going off on a rant, Cage almost always steals the show, and in "Sympathy for the Devil", he not only steals the show, but makes the show seem like it was always his to begin with.
Cage plays 'The Passenger' as he hijacks David Chamberlain's (Joel Kinnaman) car with David behind the wheel, just as David arrives at the hospital where his wife is about to give birth. As the two drive towards Boulder City, there's an undeniable game of testosterone building up between the two, and David seems to be hiding something that's manifesting behind his eyes, and 'The Passenger' is hellbent on confronting what that is and making David admit to something he claims he knows nothing about. When it comes to devils, we can clearly see the one presented in front of us for much of the film, but as the saying goes, the devil is in the details, and once these details emerge, you might just find yourself feeling "Sympathy for the Devil".
Madness Meter: 7.1/10
NB
