Dennis Twist (Rick Crawford) is about to have the worst day of his life. After a seemingly minor confrontation with a motorcyclist over the availability of a parking spot, an increasingly violent response follows. A response that will draw suspicion, blood and eventually death in Chris Witherspoon's 2010 film, Rage. The idea behind the altercation between Dennis and is unnamed antagonist is as innocent as it is commonplace. How many times have you waiting for a parking spot only to have someone wheel right in? The difference between our encounters and that to which Dennis meets is that most irate motorists might stop at a flipping of the bird or honking the horn. But the mysterious motorcyclist will take his frustration to the next level. He will follow and torment Dennis in public washrooms to his own home in order to exact some kind of unequal revenge for the slight. Dennis believes he knows the person behind the helmet that is tormenting him. Dennis has been unfaithful to his wife and he believes that the motorcyclist is an acquaintance of the woman to which he was having an affair. It was an interesting plot development that added a thin layer of mystique, but I don't think the audience was as fooled as Witherspoon (who also wrote the screenplay) intended. Things escalate gradually until they go off the rails once the Biker follows Dennis home. Invading the Twist abode, the Biker takes his violence to the next level by savagely assaulting Dennis and his wife. A prying neighbor also gets into the mix and is met with the bloodiest fate of the independent cast. Rage was one of those small entertaining movies that got us to the edge a few times but couldn't push us over. Writer/director Chris Witherspoon doesn't have a lengthy resume, but his directing talents were on full display with impressive framing shots and some coloring techniques (sequences in black and white) that showed both a confidence and a playfulness behind the camera. The acting is relatively strong. The Biker has no dialogue so the movie rests on the shoulders of Rick Crawford and he is competent in the protagonist role. Without words (or even a face) to go with our villain, it was hard to connect with his motivation. Why he would resort to a small chainsaw in a scene that I would title 'Collateral Damage' was a bit of a stretch, but we were still appreciative of the blood spillage and the distraction from the main target. Over the course of a year, we screen countless independent film sent to us with producer's intention of promoting the flick hopefully with a favorable review. Some films we are kinder to than others, but Rage needs no coddling. It is a proficient and capable film that was low key and dark in nature punctuated by some moments of incredible unease (the bedroom scene was particularly well done). That means we can easily recommend Rage and we hope to have not heard the last from director Chris Witherspoon.
Review of Rage
