Unhinged | Film Review

 

I heard about this film a while ago, but I don't remember it coming out - probably because cinemas weren't open. However, it was recently released on the Sky Premiere channel, which I'm really glad about!

Rachel (Caren Pistorius) is taking her son to school when she gets stuck behind an unmoving driver in rush-hour traffic. Without thinking, she beeps her horn, which leads her to discover just how unhinged the mysterious driver is.

I really liked the concept of the film, and while the execution wasn't great, it was still really enjoyable.

The opening scene of the film was great, and set up the main events really well. However, I feel like the first scene between the two protagonists would have been more powerful if we hadn't seen so much of Tom (Russell Crowe) in the beginning.

The amount of backstory used to set up the film doesn't feel entirely necessary. It's nice to learn more about these characters, but that's not what we're interested in. We're waiting for the action.

All of the actors are great, but obviously this film is completely Russell Crowe's - and he is brilliant in the role of Tom.

I also really liked Tom as a character. The good thing about having a character who is advertised as 'unhinged' is that they can go to any length, and seeing how far he goes is really interesting to watch.  

I liked the fact that the idea of the film in and of itself is so ordinary and mundane that it is naturally scary. You can easily imagine yourself in that situation because it could happen to anyone.

While entertaining, the film starts to lose its way in the second half. It gets more and more unrealistic, and more and more insane. After the shock-factor of this man's acts wears off, it gets less interesting to watch.

Overall, not a particularly realistic film, but a fun watch nonetheless. It could have been a lot better, but it is still enjoyable as it is.

5.5/10