With a lurid red hair and suit combo, viewers will know we are in full Cage Rage territory with Sympathy for the Devil. A wide-eyed propulsive turn from Cage propels this rather modest thriller forward, threatening to snuff out much else that makes this film compelling.
On his way to the hospital Joel Kinnaman’s unnamed driver receives a rude awakening when Cage’s passenger enters his car, planning vengeance upon Kinnaman, for what the driver insists is a case of mistaken identity.
With much of the first two acts playing out in the front of a car, much is needed here by the performances from its central duo. Cage, rarely one to phone it in, has a swagger and charisma here. He’s not really likeable (and some third act actions put pay to that) but he is electric, reminding us all why Cage’s career has survived its peaks and troughs. Kinnaman proves a surprisingly effective foil here, underplaying the part beautifully. There is an understanding that you can’t out Cage the main man and so playing it quieter pays dividends.
Yuval Adler makes the most of his assets here, with a neon-drenched nightscape of Las Vegas bleeding into the road around them (cinematographer Steven Holleran lens proceedings well). Sympathy for the Devil may not reinvent the wheel (and is actually a rather minor piece) but does prove to be a charmingly effective thriller, with a compelling narrative that develops effectively.
On his way to the hospital Joel Kinnaman’s unnamed driver receives a rude awakening when Cage’s passenger enters his car, planning vengeance upon Kinnaman, for what the driver insists is a case of mistaken identity.
With much of the first two acts playing out in the front of a car, much is needed here by the performances from its central duo. Cage, rarely one to phone it in, has a swagger and charisma here. He’s not really likeable (and some third act actions put pay to that) but he is electric, reminding us all why Cage’s career has survived its peaks and troughs. Kinnaman proves a surprisingly effective foil here, underplaying the part beautifully. There is an understanding that you can’t out Cage the main man and so playing it quieter pays dividends.
Yuval Adler makes the most of his assets here, with a neon-drenched nightscape of Las Vegas bleeding into the road around them (cinematographer Steven Holleran lens proceedings well). Sympathy for the Devil may not reinvent the wheel (and is actually a rather minor piece) but does prove to be a charmingly effective thriller, with a compelling narrative that develops effectively.