Drive Angry
Encyclopedia
Drive Angry is a 2011 American action film
starring Nicolas Cage
and directed by Patrick Lussier
. It was released on February 25, 2011.
, John Milton (Nicolas Cage
) interrogates the only survivor of a car wreck he caused, seeking Jonah King (Billy Burke
), the leader of a Satanic cult
who murdered Milton's daughter and took her baby. In three days, King and his followers will sacrifice the child at midnight. After the man tells him where Jonah King is, Milton sets off for Louisiana
to find his grandchild. He is then being followed by a strange man in a suit (William Fichtner
) who identifies himself as "The Accountant".
At a diner in Oklaholma, Milton meets a waitress, Piper (Amber Heard
), who gives him a ride. After dropping Milton off, she goes to her fiance Frank's (Todd Farmer) house to discover Frank is having sex with another woman. Piper viciously fights the other woman, and gets into an argument with Frank, who then decides to pulverize Piper. Milton rescues Piper, knocking Frank out, and they leave in her car. Later, The Accountant comes to Frank's house, still looking for Milton. Angry, Frank attacks the Accountant, who kills Frank with a broken baseball bat. Police arrive, and the Accountant presents an FBI badge, telling them to help him find Milton, who is supposedly an escaped convict.
Milton and Piper then stay for the night at a roadside bar/motel
. Piper later spots Jonah King, who orders his men to find and kill Milton. In the motel, Milton is having sex with a waitress (Charlotte Ross
), and without stopping is able to kill most of Hill's men; Piper kills the final one. The Accountant and the police arrive to find Milton. Both officers get killed, and Piper and Milton escape. The Accountant pursues them, but is shot by Milton with a strange gun that makes the Accountant's car crash. Despite not wanting anything to do with the situation, Piper agrees to help Milton to find his grandchild.
Further up the road, Milton and Piper come to a church where Jonah is inside with Milton's infant granddaughter. During the struggle, Milton is shot in the eye and apparently killed. Jonah leaves with Piper in a RV. Soon after, Milton gets up, killing almost everyone in the church, and catches up with Jonah. He manages in rescuing Piper, but Jonah escapes with the child. Back at the church, The Accountant finds someone who is still alive and he tells the Accountant that they shot Milton but he survived. He tells the Accountant that they have supposedly made a pact with Satan
and that sacrificing the child will bring hell on earth. The Accountant is, however, amusedly skeptical of this.
Nearing their destination and needing a new car, Milton stops at the farm of an old acquaintance (David Morse
), who is shocked to see Milton alive. Piper angrily demands an explanation for how Milton could've possibly survived being shot in the skull. He says that Milton was a career criminal, but was killed over 20 years ago. Milton explains that he was condemned to Hell
, where the damned are punished by being forced to watch their loved ones suffer in real life. Claiming that his daughter was "the only good thing he ever did in his life", seeing King abuse and murder her enraged him to the point he was able to escape his bonds. The bizarre looking gun that he carries with him is called the "Godkiller", which he stole from the Devil himself, and has the ability to not just kill a person, but to erase their very soul from existence.
Just before storming the prison, the Accountant is finally able to catch up with Milton and Piper. He assures them that King and his followers have made no such pact with Lucifer (in fact, cults that kill in his name are apparently one of his greatest annoyances). He agrees to let Milton complete his objective, but is still going to return him to Hell when it's all over.
Minutes before midnight, Milton literally crashes the gathering, and he and Piper kill nearly all of King's followers. Just before he can kill the child, Piper is able to recover the Godkiller from the accountant and tries to shoot Jonah, she misses and then the gun lands next to the altar. King then beats Milton,while Milton is crawling to the gun, right when King is about to deliver the final blow Milton pulls out the Godkiller and shoots him.
With his mission completed, Milton asks Piper to watch after his granddaughter, which she agrees to. Milton is drinking a beer out of the cap of Jonah's skull, when the Accountant arrives to bring him back to Hell. Milton graciously enters a car that the Accountant summons (only after demanding that he get to drive it) and cockily tells the Accountant that if he escaped Hell once, he can surely do it again. Almost hopefully, the Accountant says he doesn't doubt him. The film then ends with a portal opening, and Milton and the Accountant driving across a long fiery bridge back into Hell.
, a 1969 Dodge Charger
R/T (440 Engine) and a 1971 Chevrolet Chevelle
SS 454. The lead actor Nicolas Cage
narrated the supernatural film at WonderCon
2010. Patrick Lussier
wrote the film with Todd Farmer
. Lussier filmed the movie in Minden
, Plain Dealing
and Shreveport, Louisiana
.
, based on 111 reviews, and an average rating of 5.3/10. James Kendrick said it was 'loud, vicious, tasteless and inane'. He then went on to say 'it thunders at you from every direction with a wild abandon that is more irritating and desperate than enlivening'. Mark Jenkins
from the Washington Post commented that 'Even at its most lurid, though, the movie is a little dull. And it only gets less compelling as the back story fills in.' Thomas Layer from the Toronto Telegraph said the film was an "abysmal nightmare" and that this film was "more evidence that Nicolas Cage
is a monotone, uninspiring thespian whose films should be avoided at all costs". On the other hand, Elizabeth Weitzman from the New York Daily News
wrote, "Drive Angry is pure grindhouse
, so committed to its own junkiness that it is, in its way, a pleasure to behold."
, having opened at ninth place within the box office rankings at an underperforming $1.6 million on Friday, with a lower than expected $5 million weekend. Drive Angry box office performance made it the lowest-grossing opening of a 3D film released in over 2,000 US theaters . The film has however been slightly more successful in international markets earning $29,396,302 but was still not able to recover its budget.
Action film
Action film is a film genre where one or more heroes is thrust into a series of challenges that require physical feats, extended fights and frenetic chases...
starring Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage is an American actor, producer and director, having appeared in over 60 films including Raising Arizona , The Rock , Face/Off , Gone in 60 Seconds , Adaptation , National Treasure , Ghost Rider , Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans , and...
and directed by Patrick Lussier
Patrick Lussier
Patrick Lussier is a Canadian horror and thriller genre writer, editor and director.- Career :Lussier has worked as a film editor on most of Wes Craven's latter films, including Wes Craven's New Nightmare, Vampire in Brooklyn, Scream and Red Eye and has directed films including Dracula 2000, The...
. It was released on February 25, 2011.
Plot
In ColoradoColorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, John Milton (Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage is an American actor, producer and director, having appeared in over 60 films including Raising Arizona , The Rock , Face/Off , Gone in 60 Seconds , Adaptation , National Treasure , Ghost Rider , Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans , and...
) interrogates the only survivor of a car wreck he caused, seeking Jonah King (Billy Burke
Billy Burke
Billy Burke or Bill Burke may refer to:*Billy Burke *Billy Burke *Billy Burke , professional golfer*Billy Burke , Major League Baseball player...
), the leader of a Satanic cult
Cult
The word cult in current popular usage usually refers to a group whose beliefs or practices are considered abnormal or bizarre. The word originally denoted a system of ritual practices...
who murdered Milton's daughter and took her baby. In three days, King and his followers will sacrifice the child at midnight. After the man tells him where Jonah King is, Milton sets off for Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
to find his grandchild. He is then being followed by a strange man in a suit (William Fichtner
William Fichtner
William Edward Fichtner is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Sheriff Tom Underlay on Invasion, as Alexander Mahone on Prison Break, as William Sharp in Armageddon, and as Ken Rosenberg in the video games Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.- Early life...
) who identifies himself as "The Accountant".
At a diner in Oklaholma, Milton meets a waitress, Piper (Amber Heard
Amber Heard
Amber Laura Heard is an American actress and model. She played the lead and title character in All the Boys Love Mandy Lane, which debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2006. Heard's first starring role came in 2007 on the CW television show Hidden Palms...
), who gives him a ride. After dropping Milton off, she goes to her fiance Frank's (Todd Farmer) house to discover Frank is having sex with another woman. Piper viciously fights the other woman, and gets into an argument with Frank, who then decides to pulverize Piper. Milton rescues Piper, knocking Frank out, and they leave in her car. Later, The Accountant comes to Frank's house, still looking for Milton. Angry, Frank attacks the Accountant, who kills Frank with a broken baseball bat. Police arrive, and the Accountant presents an FBI badge, telling them to help him find Milton, who is supposedly an escaped convict.
Milton and Piper then stay for the night at a roadside bar/motel
Motel
A motor hotel, or motel for short, is a hotel designed for motorists, and usually has a parking area for motor vehicles...
. Piper later spots Jonah King, who orders his men to find and kill Milton. In the motel, Milton is having sex with a waitress (Charlotte Ross
Charlotte Ross
Charlotte Ross is an American actress, who is perhaps most widely known as a cast member of NYPD Blue from 2001 to 2004.-Early Years:...
), and without stopping is able to kill most of Hill's men; Piper kills the final one. The Accountant and the police arrive to find Milton. Both officers get killed, and Piper and Milton escape. The Accountant pursues them, but is shot by Milton with a strange gun that makes the Accountant's car crash. Despite not wanting anything to do with the situation, Piper agrees to help Milton to find his grandchild.
Further up the road, Milton and Piper come to a church where Jonah is inside with Milton's infant granddaughter. During the struggle, Milton is shot in the eye and apparently killed. Jonah leaves with Piper in a RV. Soon after, Milton gets up, killing almost everyone in the church, and catches up with Jonah. He manages in rescuing Piper, but Jonah escapes with the child. Back at the church, The Accountant finds someone who is still alive and he tells the Accountant that they shot Milton but he survived. He tells the Accountant that they have supposedly made a pact with Satan
Satan
Satan , "the opposer", is the title of various entities, both human and divine, who challenge the faith of humans in the Hebrew Bible...
and that sacrificing the child will bring hell on earth. The Accountant is, however, amusedly skeptical of this.
Nearing their destination and needing a new car, Milton stops at the farm of an old acquaintance (David Morse
David Morse
David Morse may refer to:* David A. Morse , American bureaucrat* David Morse , American stage, television, and film actor* David Morse , politician in Nova Scotia, Canada...
), who is shocked to see Milton alive. Piper angrily demands an explanation for how Milton could've possibly survived being shot in the skull. He says that Milton was a career criminal, but was killed over 20 years ago. Milton explains that he was condemned to Hell
Hell
In many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
, where the damned are punished by being forced to watch their loved ones suffer in real life. Claiming that his daughter was "the only good thing he ever did in his life", seeing King abuse and murder her enraged him to the point he was able to escape his bonds. The bizarre looking gun that he carries with him is called the "Godkiller", which he stole from the Devil himself, and has the ability to not just kill a person, but to erase their very soul from existence.
Just before storming the prison, the Accountant is finally able to catch up with Milton and Piper. He assures them that King and his followers have made no such pact with Lucifer (in fact, cults that kill in his name are apparently one of his greatest annoyances). He agrees to let Milton complete his objective, but is still going to return him to Hell when it's all over.
Minutes before midnight, Milton literally crashes the gathering, and he and Piper kill nearly all of King's followers. Just before he can kill the child, Piper is able to recover the Godkiller from the accountant and tries to shoot Jonah, she misses and then the gun lands next to the altar. King then beats Milton,while Milton is crawling to the gun, right when King is about to deliver the final blow Milton pulls out the Godkiller and shoots him.
With his mission completed, Milton asks Piper to watch after his granddaughter, which she agrees to. Milton is drinking a beer out of the cap of Jonah's skull, when the Accountant arrives to bring him back to Hell. Milton graciously enters a car that the Accountant summons (only after demanding that he get to drive it) and cockily tells the Accountant that if he escaped Hell once, he can surely do it again. Almost hopefully, the Accountant says he doesn't doubt him. The film then ends with a portal opening, and Milton and the Accountant driving across a long fiery bridge back into Hell.
Cast
- Nicolas CageNicolas CageNicolas Cage is an American actor, producer and director, having appeared in over 60 films including Raising Arizona , The Rock , Face/Off , Gone in 60 Seconds , Adaptation , National Treasure , Ghost Rider , Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans , and...
as John Milton - Amber HeardAmber HeardAmber Laura Heard is an American actress and model. She played the lead and title character in All the Boys Love Mandy Lane, which debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2006. Heard's first starring role came in 2007 on the CW television show Hidden Palms...
as Piper - William FichtnerWilliam FichtnerWilliam Edward Fichtner is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Sheriff Tom Underlay on Invasion, as Alexander Mahone on Prison Break, as William Sharp in Armageddon, and as Ken Rosenberg in the video games Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.- Early life...
as The Accountant - Billy BurkeBilly Burke (actor)William Albert "Billy" Burke is an American actor. He is known for his role as Charlie Swan in Twilight, The Twilight Saga: New Moon and the 2010 film The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. He is also known for his role as Gary Matheson in the second season of 24.-Life and career:Burke was born in...
as Jonah King - David MorseDavid Morse (actor)David Bowditch Morse is an American stage, television, and film actor. He first came to national attention as Dr. Jack Morrison in the medical drama St. Elsewhere from 1982 to 1988...
as Webster - Katy MixonKaty MixonKaty Elizabeth Mixon is an American actress. She is best known for her role as April Buchanon on HBO's Eastbound & Down and Victoria Flynn on the CBS television series Mike and Molly.-Life and career:...
as Norma Jean - Kayla Rice-Cote as Lily King
- Christa CampbellChrista CampbellChrista Campbell is an American actress who started her career in softcore pornography, and later broke into horror films. She had roles in films including 2001 Maniacs, Wicker Man, and Day of the Dead.-Movie career:...
as Mona Elkins - Charlotte RossCharlotte RossCharlotte Ross is an American actress, who is perhaps most widely known as a cast member of NYPD Blue from 2001 to 2004.-Early Years:...
as Candy - Tom AtkinsTom Atkins (actor)Tom Atkins is an American television and film actor. He is primarily known for his work in the horror film genre, having worked with writers and directors such as John Carpenter, Stephen King, and George A. Romero...
as Police Captain - Bryan MasseyBryan MasseyBryan Massey is an American actor and writer. He also works frequently as a voice actor with Funimation. He currently resides in his hometown of Dallas, Texas with his wife and daughter.-Anime Roles:* Baccano! - Ladd Russo...
- James Hébert
- Brent Henry as Teen #2
- Kendrick Hudson as Burly
- Jack Rush as Hank Mardukis
- Simone WilliamsSimone Williams (actress)Simone Williams is a Danish actress living and working in Los Angeles, USA. She was born in the city of Copenhagen, Denmark. During 2010, Williams was a housewife in the first season of the Danish reality show Danish Hollywoodwives a version of the Swedish hit show Svenska Hollywoodfruar...
as Leopard Lady - Kenneth Wayne Bradley as Man In Wig
- Pruitt Taylor VincePruitt Taylor VincePruitt Taylor Vince is an American award-winning character actor who has made many appearances in film and television.-Personal life:Vince was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana...
as Roy
Production
The film was shot in 3-D, and special effects were created by Gary Tunnicliffe. The cameras were rented from Paradise FX. The three cars driven by Cage in the film are a 1963 Buick RivieraBuick Riviera
The Riviera by Buick is an automobile produced by Buick in the United States from the 1963 to 1999 model years, with 1,127,261 produced.A full-size coupé or personal luxury car, the early models of the Riviera in particular have been highly praised by automotive journalists and writers.A common...
, a 1969 Dodge Charger
Dodge Charger
The Dodge Charger is an American automobile manufactured by the Dodge division of Chrysler. There have been several different Dodge vehicles, built on three different platforms and sizes, all bearing the Charger nameplate...
R/T (440 Engine) and a 1971 Chevrolet Chevelle
Chevrolet Chevelle
The Chevrolet Chevelle is a mid-sized automobile produced by the Chevrolet division of General Motors in three generations for the 1964 through 1977 model years. Part of the GM A-Body platform, the Chevelle was one of Chevrolet's most successful nameplates. Body styles include coupes, sedans,...
SS 454. The lead actor Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage is an American actor, producer and director, having appeared in over 60 films including Raising Arizona , The Rock , Face/Off , Gone in 60 Seconds , Adaptation , National Treasure , Ghost Rider , Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans , and...
narrated the supernatural film at WonderCon
WonderCon
WonderCon is an annual comic book, science fiction, and motion picture convention, held in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1987.The convention was conceived by retailer John Barrett and originally held in the Oakland Convention Center, where it remained until 2003, when it moved to San...
2010. Patrick Lussier
Patrick Lussier
Patrick Lussier is a Canadian horror and thriller genre writer, editor and director.- Career :Lussier has worked as a film editor on most of Wes Craven's latter films, including Wes Craven's New Nightmare, Vampire in Brooklyn, Scream and Red Eye and has directed films including Dracula 2000, The...
wrote the film with Todd Farmer
Todd Farmer
Todd Farmer is an American writer and actor, having written the scripts for Jason X , Messengers 2: The Scarecrow , My Bloody Valentine 3D , and Drive Angry .-Early life:...
. Lussier filmed the movie in Minden
Minden, Louisiana
Minden is a city in the American state of Louisiana. It serves as the parish seat of Webster Parish and is located twenty-eight miles east of Shreveport, the seat of Caddo Parish. The population, which has been stable since 1960, was 13,027 at the 2000 census...
, Plain Dealing
Plain Dealing, Louisiana
Plain Dealing is a town in Bossier Parish, Louisiana, United States best known as the birthplace of former U.S. Representative Joe D. Waggonner, Jr. The population was 1,071 at the 2000 census...
and Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
.
Release
The film was released in the US on 25 February 2011. Footage premiered on 23 July 2010 as part of the San Diego Comic-Con International.Critical reception
The film has received mixed reviews from critics. It currently holds a 45% rating on Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
, based on 111 reviews, and an average rating of 5.3/10. James Kendrick said it was 'loud, vicious, tasteless and inane'. He then went on to say 'it thunders at you from every direction with a wild abandon that is more irritating and desperate than enlivening'. Mark Jenkins
Mark Jenkins
Mark Jenkins is an American artist most widely known for the street installations he creates using box sealing tape. In addition to creating art, he also teaches his sculpture techniques through workshops in cities he visits...
from the Washington Post commented that 'Even at its most lurid, though, the movie is a little dull. And it only gets less compelling as the back story fills in.' Thomas Layer from the Toronto Telegraph said the film was an "abysmal nightmare" and that this film was "more evidence that Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage is an American actor, producer and director, having appeared in over 60 films including Raising Arizona , The Rock , Face/Off , Gone in 60 Seconds , Adaptation , National Treasure , Ghost Rider , Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans , and...
is a monotone, uninspiring thespian whose films should be avoided at all costs". On the other hand, Elizabeth Weitzman from the New York Daily News
New York Daily News
The Daily News of New York City is the fourth most widely circulated daily newspaper in the United States with a daily circulation of 605,677, as of November 1, 2011....
wrote, "Drive Angry is pure grindhouse
Grindhouse
A grindhouse is an American term for a theater that mainly shows exploitation films. It is named after the defunct burlesque theaters located on 42nd Street in New York City, where 'bump n' grind' dancing and striptease were featured.- History :...
, so committed to its own junkiness that it is, in its way, a pleasure to behold."
Box office
The film is considered a box office bombBox office bomb
The phrase box office bomb refers to a film for which the production and marketing costs greatly exceeded the revenue regained by the movie studio. This should not be confused with Hollywood accounting when official figures show large losses, yet the movie is a financial success.A film's financial...
, having opened at ninth place within the box office rankings at an underperforming $1.6 million on Friday, with a lower than expected $5 million weekend. Drive Angry box office performance made it the lowest-grossing opening of a 3D film released in over 2,000 US theaters . The film has however been slightly more successful in international markets earning $29,396,302 but was still not able to recover its budget.
External links
- Drive Angry at MetacriticMetacriticMetacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...