318. Unhinged; movie review

UNHINGED
Cert 15
93 mins
BBFC advice: Contains strong threat, violence, language, bloody images

"Don't you dare beep the hooter!"
I was firm with my instruction to Mrs W, fearing retribution if she showed even a slither of aggression to the driver who was dithering as traffic lights turned green.
She agreed - the terrors of Unhinged were still firm in our minds.
Derrick Borte's film, which we watched while on holiday in Cornwall, had marked our return to the cinema after many months away.
It was a strange experience even though we made up half the auditorium's audience.
At this stage, we didn't have to wear protective masks to watch the movie (those rules were changed a week later) but all the staff did.
And, while we felt safe, others were clearly not lured to the cinema which, consequently, didn't have any of the usual buzz.
Nevertheless, as soon as Unhinged began, we realised what we had been missing. If we had seen it at home it would have had nowhere near the equivalent impact.

In the opening scenes, mentally disturbed Tom Cooper (Russell Crowe) kills his ex-wife and partner before burning down their home.

It is the grotesque misfortune of newly divorced mum, Rachel (Caren Pistorius) that she beeps at him at traffic lights because she is in a rush to get her son (Gabriel Bateman) to school.

Cooper reacts menacingly and predicts she is about to have the worst day of her life.

He was right

His rage is taken out not only on her and her son but also anyone who tries to help or even gets in the psychopath's way.

Every time she thinks she has escaped him, he returns with even greater determination and savagery.

Unhinged is a fine chase movie but isn't perfect - indeed, much of seems to defy logic.

However, Crowe excels as the maniac killer and the film certainly had us on edge for days.

Reasons to watch: Crowe in menacing form
Reasons to avoid: A tad repetitive

Laughs: None
Jumps: Three
Vomit: Yes
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 7.5/10

Did you know? Russell Crowe gained 63 pounds for a previous film but the star of Gladiator wore a fat suit for Unhinged.

The final word. Russell Crowe: "As extreme as this film is, it felt like fresh ground to me. I've played a lot of hero characters, I've played a lot of regular guys and I've played a lot of villains. But most of the time, when I play a villain, they tend to be very complex and there's a lot of stuff going on. And this guy was just blunt trauma." Screen Rant

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