Everyone has a bad day, but what Russell Crowe pulls off in “Unhinged” is already beyond good and evil. The Oscar winner just runs completely amok in the grim thriller, now available on Netflix’s subscription service.
At the turn of the century, Russell Crowe was not only one of the most popular actors in Hollywood, but also one of the most sought-after. With “Insider”, “Gladiator”, “A Beautiful Mind”, “Master & Commander” or “The Comeback”, he had several films in succession that were not only celebrated by critics and audiences, but also always stood a chance of winning an Academy Award or two. For “Gladiator” he even won the Gold Award, while “A Beautiful Mind” was “only” nominated.
In the meantime, Russell Crowe has not disappeared from the scene, but he is also trying to realise himself in other areas, as the brute thriller “Unhinged” proves, in which Crowe gets completely out of control as an unleashed berserker. Those who have not yet seen Derrick Borte’s film can now do so with a Netflix subscription. Of course, you shouldn’t expect great art, but if you’re in the mood for some rage-snorting genre fare that offers really good entertainment, you’re welcome to take a look here.
RUSSELL CROWE FREAKS OUT LIKE NO ONE HAS EVER FREAKED OUT BEFORE
In the official FILMSTARTS review, which gave “Unhinged” a solid 3 out of a possible 5 points, our chief critic Christoph Petersen writes in his conclusion: “It doesn’t get much nastier than this! ‘Unhinged – Out of Control’ races from a standstill at 200 km/h straight into oncoming traffic – and only tightens up the speed and viciousness as it goes on. If you get involved in the madness, you could almost overlook the fact that logic falls by the wayside at the very first intersection. “
Of course, you shouldn’t check “Unhinged” for its content-related validity, instead you should just let yourself be carried away, because this film knows no compromises and goes straight into full swing from the beginning. This is also due to Russell Crowe, who, in a sweaty shirt and a stately physique (a fatsuit has also helped out here), would like to smash everything to bits. And it stays that way from beginning to end, because:
“The violence is sudden, brute, merciless – even towards women and children. There’s not an ounce of a clever cinematic monster like Hannibal Lecter in this, quite the opposite: it would be hard to imagine a more unflattering, less flattering performance from an Oscar winner.” In any case, Crowe is a seething force as a 200 per cent full psycho – and reason enough to give “Unhinged” a go. The hare-brained story is hardly a problem, because after a crisp and short 78 minutes the credits roll anyway.
THAT’S WHAT “UNHINGED” IS ABOUT
Rachel (Caren Pistorius) is running late when she clashes with a strange motorist (Russell Crowe) at a traffic light on the way to her son Kyle’s (Gabriel Bateman) school. Although his light is green, he stoically ignores the signal. When she passes him honking, she becomes the target of an angry man who obviously has nothing left to lose.
The stranger wants to make a final mark on the world by teaching her a series of deadly lessons. What follows is a dangerous game of cat and mouse that proves you never know who you’re really riding next to…
