Road rage can be a scary thing. From angry drivers dangerously tailgating or cutting off the targets of their fury to actually pulling weapons on them, you never know when someone is going to snap. That said, I don’t think anyone has seen the level of road rage one man brings to this latest thriller.
In Unhinged, struggling single mom Rachel (Caren Pistorius) angers a driver simply known as The Man (Russell Crowe) after she honks at him for sitting too long at green light. Unfortunately for her, this man has a hairpin temper, a terrifying violent streak, and a willingness to kill anyone in his way.
This is a solid thriller by director Derrick Borte. The tension is high throughout, and having an antagonist who isn’t afraid of getting caught or hurting people with multiple witnesses around makes the stakes feel much higher. There are some exciting car chases, although because so much of the movie takes place on the road, it starts blurring together after a while. There’s some clunky foreshadowing here and there, and the protagonist makes some unrealistically stupid decisions that even suspension of disbelief can’t get me past, but I think most people will watch this movie for the action, not the writing, so it’s mostly forgivable.
While the writing is nothing amazing, the acting from the two leads is excellent. Caren Pistorius is likable, relatable, and brings a good balance of vulnerable and badass. Russell Crowe as The Man proves what a chameleon of an actor he is, and not just appearance-wise; he’s a truly versatile performer, and this role showcases that. I’m bummed that Jimmi Simpson doesn’t get much screen time as Rachel’s best friend and divorce lawyer; I’ve enjoyed his other performances (I loved him in the Stephen King miniseries Rose Red) and was excited to see him as one of the top-billed actors, but I don’t think he has even five minutes of screen time. He does well with what he’s given, though.
While it’s not really my type of movie, Unhinged is enjoyable enough. It’s suspenseful, well-paced, and the acting is good. If you’re a fan of dramatic car chases, this one is worth a watch.
Have you seen UNHINGED? Well, what did you think?
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FLIXCHATTER FILM BLOG 
This might be a fun film but I’m not going back to the movie theaters until we all get vaccinated. I ain’t risking my fucking life for a film.
I was able to have a press screener emailed to me, fortunately, so I didn’t have to sit in a theater for this one (no way am I risking my life for a Russell Crowe car chase movie, haha). I definitely don’t plan on attending any in-person screenings for the foreseeable future, so hopefully more major studios make their movies immediately available through streaming for the time being.
Crowe is definitely a chameleon actor, that’s what I love about him. I had a huge crush on him after Gladiator, but i think his best role is definitely The Insider. I might give this one a watch once it’s available on streaming, looks too scary/bloody from the trailer but hey, I do love car chases!
Haha, Harry kept referring to him as Maximus while we watched this! I will give you a heads up that it’s pretty bloody/violent in a few places, but if you like car chases you still might have fun!
When I saw the trailer of this movie a while back, I thought for sure it’s from Netflix or other streaming services, no way this would be shown in theaters. But boy was I wrong, never thought this kind of genre would be showing in theaters again. From reading your review, I think I’ll wait till it does come out on Netflix or other streaming services, lol!
This one reminded me of another road rage related film back in the early 2000s, CHANGING LANES. It starred Ben Affleck and Sam Jackson and I throughly enjoyed that one. With social media and smart phones these days, I’ve seen so many road rage incidents in real life and I’m in no hurry to see a film related to this subject anytime soon. Ha ha!
Yeah, while it’s by no means a bad movie, it didn’t feel like one that would warrant a theatrical release. It’s definitely entertaining enough, though, so yeah, once it’s on streaming you should give it a watch!
I remember the title, but I’ve never seen Changing Lanes; I might have to check it out after this one!
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