Drive Angry (2011)

A vengeful father escapes from hell and chases after the men who killed his daughter and kidnapped his granddaughter.

Director:

Patrick Lussier

Writers:

Todd Farmer, Patrick Lussier

Stars:

Nicolas Cage, Amber Heard, William Fichtner

1 win & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Nicolas Cage	...	Milton
Amber Heard	...	Piper
William Fichtner	...	The Accountant
Billy Burke	...	Jonah King
David Morse	...	Webster
Todd Farmer	...	Frank
Christa Campbell	...	Mona
Charlotte Ross	...	Candy
Tom Atkins	...	Cap
Jack McGee	...	Fat Lou
Katy Mixon	...	Norma Jean
Wanetah Walmsley	...	American Indian Mother
Robin McGee	...	Guy with Camera Phone
Fabian C. Moreno	...	Latino Busboy (as Fabian Moreno)
Edrick Browne	...	Rookie

Storyline

John Milton is up against the clock: Jonah King, the leader of a Satanic cult, has murdered Milton's daughter and kidnapped her baby. In three days, King and his followers will sacrifice the child at midnight. Milton picks up the trail in Oklahoma as well as rescuing a waitress named Piper from her brutal, two-timing fiancé. There are odd things about Milton: his driver's license is out of date, he has a very strange gun, and he's being pursued by a man in a suit who carries FBI ID and calls himself the Accountant. Piper, who's lived a life on the sidelines, has to piece things together on the fly as they close in on King.

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Plot Keywords:

female frontal nudity | sex scene | waitress | rear nudity | topless woman | 

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Taglines:

One hell of a ride.

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Genres:

Action | Fantasy | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong brutal violence throughout, grisly images, some graphic sexual content, nudity and pervasive language

Details

Official Sites:

Metropolitan Filmexport [France] Official site [Japan]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 February 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

Drive Angry 3D

Filming Locations:

3975 Greenwood Rd Shreveport, Louisiana, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$50,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,187,625, 27 February 2011, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$10,706,786, 17 April 2011

Company Credits

Production Co:

Summit Entertainment, Millennium Films, Michael De Luca Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This is Patrick Lussier's second 3D film, having made My Bloody Valentine (2009) two years earlier. Even in that short time period, Lussier was impressed with the leaps forward in 3D technology.

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Goofs

The news refers to the Colorado State Police, but in Colorado it is the State Patrol. Also the State Patrol wears light brown pants, not like the troopers in the movie. Also CSP would not investigate car theft, as their primary responsibility is traffic safety.

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Quotes

[first lines]
The Accountant: Since the birth of time, humanity has endeavored to restrain evil men in prisons. But since Cain fled the murder of his brother, evil men have fled the walls of punishment. So, it doesn't matter if you're a bad-ass motherfucker on the run, because you think you're better than everyone else, and somehow entitled to do what you gotta do. No. Because you see bad-ass motherfuckers are never fast enough. In the end, they will all be accounted for.

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Crazy Credits

The end credits are shown down a speeding broken highway

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Alternate Versions

Also released in a 3D version.

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Connections

Referenced in The Prisoners Dilemma (2012)

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Soundtracks

Fuck the Pain Away
Written by Peaches
Performed by Peaches
Licensec Courtesy of XL Recordings Limited
www.xlrecordings.com

User Reviews

Review: Drive Angry 3D

Milton (Nicholas Cage), long hair bleached and greased back with vengeance, tosses his duffel bag into the back of newly-met stranger Piper's (Amber Heard) Dodge Charger. With her hands shoved into her daisy barely dukes, the uncertainty in her gaze is lost on, or possibly ignored by, Milton. As he opens the door to get in:

Piper: "I don't pick up hitchhikers, you know."

Milton: "I wasn't stickin' out my thumb."

*car door slam*

This early scene sums up exactly what you're getting yourself into with the Nicholas Cage driven movie, Drive Angry. You've seen the trailers. You've experienced Cage's knack to play unhinged, surrealistic characters. This 70's throwback to the pulp, metal on metal, grindhouse era of film doesn't ask you if you want a ride. You jump in without invitation and only know one thing: you'd better strap in. And it's with this that Drive Angry does not disappoint.

Milton, in his '64 Riviera, has just escaped from imprisonment and is searching for a baby snatched from her mother by a devil-worshipping cult hellbent on a full moon sacrifice led by Jonah King (Billy Burke of The Twilight Saga), a southernly sadistic soothsayer. It seems Milton's own daughter was once stolen from him by the same cult and, well, he's experiencing a little road rage as he shoots his way through one lead to the next. Along the way, he joins up with Piper and her '68 Charger who's pretty looks pack a pretty punch and isn't afraid to gun and run. All the while they are being chased across 6 state lines by trigger happy cops and The Accountant (William Fichtner of Prison Break), a seemingly supernatural hunter looking to return Milton to his warm, warm prison. Throw in a '71 Chevelle, unapologetic bloodshed, and absolutely necessary explosions, and you have one darkly comedic, action fueled vehicle.

Drive Angry embraces the fact that it is ridiculous by nature which makes it very enjoyable. The over the top dialogue, car chases, and 3D shootouts really add to making this a midnight moviegoer's film. Patrick Lussier and Todd Farmer (My Bloody Valentine 3D) aimed to keep the integral car sequences visceral and strayed away from CGI for a majority of the chases, though there is plenty of CGI elsewhere. Being an unabashed opponent to the influx of 3D in the cinema today, Drive Angry was filmed as a 3D film from the start and I actually liked it. Some shots were intentionally gimmicky which added to the humor, but the entire movie is a bit over the top and it flowed nicely.

Drive Angry makes no assumptions that it is anything but a popcorn-spilling, laugh-out- loud, violently raw roller coaster on its way no where near an Oscar. And it's better for it. If you don't mind having an arm shot and projected at your face while Nic Cage loses touch with reality, Drive Angry will provide an entertaining distraction from the repetitive daily commute.

3.5 seat belts out of 5

-MovieFloss.com