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.

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.

It comes from the less known Israeli filmmaker Yuval Adler, who has a few class B movies in his pocket, a mystery thriller.

Fright night (a great freaking night, as Nicholas Cage likes to say) under the lights of Las Vegas

Starring Joel Kinnaman and Nicholas Cage, who is also producing, we are grabbed from the opening shot music and scenes of a moody typical night in Las Vegas,but you know,what happens in Vegas? As the story follows David,a caring family man (Joel Kinnaman), as he is preparing for the big night of his second child birth,but then gets mysteriously caught in a rough game with an unhinged stranger (Nicholas Cage) with red dyed hair to match the suit that goes with it.

As the unknown passenger switches between the seats from the back one to shotgun, you get the feeling that it's about to come down tonight while the cards start facing up, slowly building up the tension and stress throughout its 90-minute running time.

With the least unnecessary scenes and a good soundtrack, you're treated to a solid performance from Joel while he anxiously struggles to unravel the past as the clock is ticking, and Nicholas Cage's outstanding acting and terrific facial expressions as he throws cheesy but catchy classic lines and shows off with his smooth-ish dance moves and singing, and an awesome Cage Rage moment with his roof-bursting temper. Both of them carry the film to an acceptable direct ending at the moment that the screen is burning with exploding molotovs.

Similar to Michael Mann's Collateral from 2004 in many ways, with a lower budget and vibes like in Ryan Gosling's Drive from 2011.

Sympathy for the Devil delivers a good watch to enjoy while making you wonder: what does the sound of screaming rabbits seem like?

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.

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.