Sympathy for the Devil (2023) Review!!

Synopsis – After being forced to drive a mysterious passenger at gunpoint, a man finds himself in a high-stakes game of cat and mouse where it becomes clear that not everything is at it seems.

My Take – Once upon a time a massive box office drawer worldwide, no one’s status as a performer has seen taking a hit as much as Nicholas Cage, particularly due to the multiple atrocious video on demand films he chose to star in over the last decade. A factor which engulfed the fact that the Oscar winner has well proven his ability to pull off multi-layered characters.

Now that he has finally retired from the multi-million dollar debt that he’d accumulated as a citizen of interest to the IRS, something which kept him strapped to the dumpster wheel of B-productions for over a decade, Cage is once again able to prove his incredible range as seen in recent turnarounds like Pig (2021), The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022) and Renfield (2023).

While to the average viewer this latest starring role of his may seem like just another run-of-the-mill typical Nicolas Cage flick, thankfully, writer Luke Paradise and director Yuval Adler (The Secrets We Keep) manage to utilize the star to his fullest in this interesting slow-burn yet increasingly unnerving, violent and bleak thriller.

Similar to director Michael Mann‘s Collateral (2004) in many ways, albeit with a lower budget, the film operates with such a clear sense of purpose that it’s easy to give into its steady rhythm, sit back, and go along for the ride.

Yes, it doesn’t stray far from the established mold of other films of this type, but if you’re looking for an engaging enough experience with a showcase of strong performances and direction, the film certainly has you covered with a hypnotically energized performance from Cage and impressive night shot direction by Adler.

Set in Las Vegas, the story follows David Chamberlain (Joel Kinnaman), an expectant father, who after dropping off his young son at his grandmother arrives at the hospital to see his wife through labor for their second child birth. But before he can get out of the car, an unhinged alcoholic stranger (Nicholas Cage) with red dyed hair to match the suit that goes with it, enters David’s vehicle and forces him at gunpoint to drive him to Boulder City.

Over the course of the evening David attempts to understand what his new passenger’s intentions are, finding himself in a high-stakes game of cat and mouse where it becomes clear that not everything is as it seems.

This is one of those simple films, where characters are allowed to just slowly expand as the story goes on. And 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.

Holding attention from start to finish, a slow start is rewarded with a satisfying escalation of danger. For most of their journey together, it’s unclear exactly why Cage’s passenger chose Kinnaman’s driver as the target for all of his unbridled rage and psychological attacks.

Writer Paradise’s script includes a handful of early clues and hints, however, all of which suggest that there may be an actual history between the two. Mystery which is ultimately revealed in one concise blast of information, and then heads on to provide decent narrative twists till the end credits begin to roll in.

Visually the film looks like a proper thriller throughout with a dark and moody color palette. The fact that a large part of the film was actually shot on a sound stage makes this detail even more impressive.

However, it is undeniable that the film seems almost tailor-made for Nicolas Cage’s fans (like myself), a film that could not have existed without him, and whose screenplay appears to have been conceived with him in mind. From the second he shows up on-screen, Cage’s gun-wielding loose cannon is the ultimate passenger from Hell. Not only is his latest, unnamed character the kind to wave a gun in another person’s face with wanton abandon, but he’s also just as quick to quote ominous Bible verses, purposefully piss off a police officer, and take over an entire roadside diner if it pleases him.

Cage, likewise, doesn’t just lean into the character’s insanity, but he plays it all the way up turning in a performance that is alternately irritating, hilarious, and disarming, but always uniquely terrifying. A spectacle that, if you enjoy his antics, will leave you enchanted, and if you don’t, it will not be the kind of film you are seeking.

On the other hand, Joel Kinnaman brings a layered, straight-faced lead turn, allowing him to be outshone by Cage by the fact that he’s essentially there to serve as a grounding element against the performer, but he does it about as well as anyone could. On the whole, ‘Sympathy for the Devil’ is a decent stylish thriller anchored by a mesmerizing over-the-top Nicolas Cage performance.