This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the film being covered here wouldn’t exist.A carjacking thriller starringNicolas CageandJoel Kinnaman(The Suicide Squad) is an easy sell. Both stars are incredibly talented, so the idea of them working together is enough to bring fans to theaters. However, whileSympathy for the Devildoes deliver powerful performances from its leads, the movie gets dragged down by a by-the-numbers approach to storytelling.
Sympathy for the Devilfollows David (Kinnaman) as he drives to the hospital after his wife has gone into labor. Unfortunately, as soon as David arrives at the hospital, he’s taken hostage by a stranger with a red leather jacket and a twitchy finger on the trigger of a gun (Cage). At first, David thinks he’s being robbed, but the stranger wants them to drive from Las Vegas to Boulder City. The movie takes place during this anxiety-inducing road trip, as David tries to escape and the stranger wreaks havoc everywhere they go.
While David and the stranger will cross different people and stop at a few places along the way, the core ofSympathy for the Devilis the battle of wits between captor and prisoner. Trapped inside the car, the two men play a dangerous cat-and-mouse game, trying to explore each other’s weaknesses. The driver wants to return to the hospital and ensure his kidnapper won’t follow him or hurt his family. On the other hand, the passenger seems to have mistaken David for another person and keeps playing sick games to force his victim to confess the supposed truth.
RELATED:‘Sympathy for the Devil’: Trailer, Cast, Release Date, and What to Expect
‘Sympathy for the Devil’ Is More Formulaic Than Frightening
While it’s entertaining to see Cage and Kinnaman carry the tension, there is a lingering mystery inSympathy for the Devilthatfalls short. The story does what it can to keep its secrets, with the passenger dropping hints instead of revealing his true intentions right away. Yet, the experience ofSympathy for the Devilis not surprising. On the contrary, everything plays out as expected, which can be disappointing considering the long build-up before the reveal.
Sympathy for the Devilalso plays it safe regarding dialogue, relying on common expressions that would sound flat if it wasn’t for Cage’s and Kinnaman’s electric performances. When the movie then tries to explore grief and trauma, the script’s approach to these themes is so undercooked that, by the time the credits roll, it feels like a film with nothing relevant to say. That’s a shame, as delving deeper into the psyche of its main characters may have elevated this formulaic thriller.
On the directing front,Yuval Adleralso falls short of givingSympathy for the Devila unique voice. For instance, the shaky camera doesn’t add anything to the movie. Besides that, the framing keeps the characters too far away to capture the nuances of Cage’s and Kinnaman’s performances, which should be mandatory in a film so focused on human interactions. There’s nothing visually striking inSympathy for the Devil, even in the movie’s central set pieces. It would be a forgettable thriller if not for Cage’s unhinged take on his character.
‘Sympathy for the Devil’ Taps Into Nicolas Cage’s Gonzo Energy
Nicolas Cage remains a unique personality in the Hollywood game due to his ability to play grounded characters orembrace the madness and go full haywire. For eachPigin Cage’s career, there’s aGhost Rider, and for eachLeaving Las Vegas, there’s aRenfield. However, while Cage shines the brightest when he has a layered character to play, there’s no question his legion of fans adores when the star canbring his deranged energy on set. Fortunately, that’s precisely the case withSympathy for the Devil.
As the mysterious kidnapper, Cage is tasked with showing how dangerous the passenger is when he first steps into the scene. The star accepts the challenge, combining wide-eyed stares, twisted grins, and sharp one-liners to keep his prey on the edge. So, even when the story fails to deliver, there’s always something fun to see inSympathy for the Devil, thanks to Cage’s magnetic presence. In the movie’s best moments, he sheds the mask of the passenger to show the pain he carries inside. Similarly toMandy, Cage seems to have been hired to make everything wilder, yet the lingering humanity in his performance makes the character matter more.
Kinnaman also deserves praise, perfectly embodying the distress of a man locked in a car with an unleashed Nicolas Cage. In any other movie, the dissonance between Cage’s unstable role and the seriousness of Kinnaman’s David would stick out as a sore thumb. InSympathy for the Devil, the discrepancy between the two main characters creates the tension needed to keep the story afloat. It’s fascinating to see Kinnaman personify the misery of a man trapped in a situation he can never understand as his captor constantly challenges reason. Meanwhile, Cage keeps spreading gleeful destruction.Sympathy for the Devilshould be thankful for Cage and Kinnaman’s brilliant dynamics as, without them, the movie would be nothing more than a bland thriller.
