Sympathy for the devil

I liked it better than the reviews would have me believe. If you are a fan of Cage's overacting style, you will love this movie. Cage plays the part very well as you would expect from him, but Joel Kinnaman was a really good lead too. The soundtrack is really, really good. It fits the tone and atmosphere of the movie very well. With a running time of about one and a half hour you won't get bored, the main story unfolds fast, and although the plot is quite predictable the journey towards it remains intriguing enough. All in all a very entertaining movie, and a must-see if you are a Cage fan like me! 7/10.

The more I see Cage, the more I get impressed by his ability to pull off multi-layered characters. The cage must be one of those rarest species of actors who have always been underappreciated, no matter what kind of work or how difficult of a project they involved themselves in.

I see people more often than not underestimating him as a performer, and it's a shame that they don't realise or recognise the kind of capacity and range this man owns. Yes, he's been part of multiple duds, he may not have the filmography to rave about, but he has always given his very best, irrespective of the quality of the movies he chose to be part of!

Like in this case...

The film in itself is nothing exceptional, not at all. One could even argue that this is a cheap knockoff of Michael Mann's "Collateral", a subpar imitation of Mann's iconic creation minus the thrill. But it's Cage who made things a whole lot better, intensifying it through his spirited performance.

Had he not been a part of it, this was on its way to being an utter failure, but it did not end up like one because of Nick Cage and Nick Cage only! He was the saving grace.

For some, the promise of Nicolas Cage playing a psychopathic, red-haired Bostonian is simply irresistible. The actor has delivered many entertaining performances as mad characters in the past, from his turn as the chaotic yuppie Peter Loew in 'Vampire's Kiss,' to the criminally insane Castor Troy in 'Face/Off'. Cage has made his bread and butter- and garnered legions of fans- delving into the mind of crazed characters, as he does yet again in Yuval Adler's 'Sympathy for the Devil.'

The film follows David Chamberlain, a married man living in Las Vegas whose wife is in the hospital, having just gone into labour. As he arrives, a scarlet-haired menace with a gun climbs into the back of his car, demanding that he is driven to Boulder City. With a gun to his head, Chamberlain is taken on a journey into fear through the Nevada nightscape; a journey that can only end in violence.

Adler's 'Sympathy for the Devil' is a fairly predictable, though entertaining, thriller that will please Cage fans considerably. Essentially a two-hander, the narrative is slim on originality or surprise, though still keeps one engaged. It is a tense affair, the passenger's unpredictability making for some effectively thrilling moments. Screenwriter Luke Paradise seems to have tailored the dialogue for Cage, giving him some marvellously madcap monologues, which he spouts with his typical nouveau shamanic, Western Kabuki brilliance (nouveau shamanic and Western Kabuki, for those who may not know, being Cage's self-titled acting styles).

However, Joel Kinnaman- as Chamberlain- gets considerably less to do. His character is the grounded parallel to Cage's deranged villain, a stoic man lacking personality or charisma. A wet blanket, he is hard to root for in the face of Cage's magnetic mania. Though Kinnaman performs admirably, and shares a good chemistry with Cage; he does not deliver a memorable performance. Moreover, the cliches that abound throughout the film become quite tiring, leading to an ending as forgettable as it is underwhelming.

Conversely, Steven Holleran's cinematography is a neon-soaked feast for the eyes. Atmospheric and striking, his work compounds the narrative tension. He captures the seedy unease of the Las Vegas night astutely, lending proceedings a Lynchian mood of sleazy agitation. This is complemented by the production design from Burns Burns, as well as Ermelinda Manos's costume design and Anthony Fitzgerald's art direction and set decoration.

Furthermore, Ishai Adar's score contributes to the sordid, mysterious tone, as does the eclectic and evocative soundtrack, making great use of songs from the like of Scott Walker, Alicia Bridges and Jimmy Radcliffe. It is also a well-edited picture, with a good pace from the beginning. At just over an hour and a half, it is relatively short, although Adler and editor Alan Canant's work ensures it doesn't feel in any way rushed.

As alluded to above, despite its faults- predictability chiefly among them- it's a film Cage fans will love. As the erratic gun-toting passenger, he is terrific, clearly having a ball with the material. It's a classic Cage performance- full of unexpected vocalisations, shouting, creepy facial expressions and a little bit of song and dance. He is electrifying to watch and works well with Kinnaman, who- as previously mentioned- is perfectly adequate, though his role doesn't demand much of him.

In short, Yuval Adler's 'Sympathy for the Devil' is one that Nicolas Cage fans will enjoy, though may leave those who do not appreciate his work, unmoved. While Steven Holleran's cinematography is striking, and the soundtrack- as well as Ishai Adar's score- complements the atmosphere, the narrative is unfortunately cliched. Joel Kinnaman's character is also dull and the ending disappoints. In conclusion, while Nicolas Cage is great, the film around him doesn't live up to his talents.

Nicolas Cage gives his expected over-the-top charismatic performance, and is the only reason you may finish watching this poorly paced 90 min predictable slog with nothing really new to offer.

This film has some intense moments, but ultimately, the story is too tired, cliched, predictable, and goes no where - as though the filmmakers are making it up as they go along. You'll find yourself just sitting around until Cage can go wild, wondering if the Mucous Man was really sprinkling boogers in the writer's creative juices as this screenplay was being written.

There was no devil in the details of this script, and the only sympathy the devil deserves should be given to anyone viewing this mess. It's a very generous 5/10 all going to the two leads who gave it their best shot with what little they had to work with.

Let's get one thing straight: "Sympathy for the Devil" isn't a good movie. In no universe would I ever recommend this to anyone unless they were huge Nicolas Cage fans (such as myself). Why? Because, besides Cage's performance, there is really nothing here that is worthy of any real entertainment value. The violence is oddly shot and unfortunately neutered; the story is a predictable rehash of plotlines done - and done better - in a countless number of other films; and the movie (though it does look good, what with its neon-drenched cinematography) is clearly low budget, with 85% of it taking place inside of a vehicle. All of that said, Nicolas Cage's performance is so out-there, so extreme, and so colorful, that it makes "Sympathy for the Devil" a must watch for Cage fans.

Wow, wow, and wow. Where to start with "Sympathy for the Devil?" A certified Cage classic, if you're watching this movie, you're only watching it for one Nic Cage..... and one that front, it delivers. Cage is so, so entertaining here - he butchers a Brooklyn accent, he screams throughout 90% of his performance, and - for some reason - his hair is dyed red. What more could you ask for? Cage goes wild here, playing a character that will resort to violence at the drop of a hat - he's unpredictable, he's semi-menacing, and he's a whole lot of fun to watch on screen. If you want to watch this for Cage, you owe it to yourself to give it a go.

If you want to watch this for any other reason besides Nic Cage? You probably won't have that good of a time. Because, truth be told, there isn't really a lot of substance here. The majority of the movie consists of two people talking while pretending to drive a vehicle, and it's about as interesting as you'd expect, elevated only by Cage's wacky performance. I do have an affinity for Joel Kinnaman, and he is good here, but he really doesn't have that much to do. Like I said, the majority of the movie consists of Cage and Kinnaman speaking to each other, and while Cage's character adds entertainment value, there really isn't much depth to the performances or the conversations - in fact, the lack of depth was so noticeable that I found myself immediately forgetting the contents of the conversations as soon as they were over.

"Forgettable" is also an apt word to describe this movie; not much happens, and when it does, it doesn't leave any real type of impact on viewers. Simply put, this is a watchable, fast food-esque movie that you can put on, enjoy, and immediately never think about again as soon as the credits roll. And this isn't to say that I think this movie is horrible, because I don't - I just think that it's a movie strictly made for fans of Nicolas Cage. Not a Cage fan? Then you probably won't find much to enjoy here.