James R | On 25, Nov 2020

Director: Derrick Borte
Cast: Caren Pistorious, Russell Crowe, Gabriel Bateman
Certificate: 18
Watch Unhinged online in the UK: Sky Cinema / NOW / Apple TV (iTunes) / Prime Video (Buy/Rent) / TalkTalk TV / Virgin Movies / Rakuten TV / Google Play / Sky Store / CHILI

“I don’t think you know what a bad day is. But you’re gonna learn.” Those are the fateful words of a Man (Russell Crowe) after he is beeped by another car while waiting for him to take a turn. Driving the other vehicle is Rachel (Caren Pistorius), who is trying to get to her job on time while also dropping her son, Kyle (Gabriel Bateman), at school. When the frustration prompts her to honk her honk loudly, rather than a polite “courtesy tap”, it’s enough to send the Man over the edge – and he spends the rest of the film racing towards revenge.

It’s a simple set-up for a B-movie thriller, and Unhinged’s title makes it clear that it isn’t aiming for anything grander than that. Background radio conversations tie this breakdown of civil conflict into a world where calm disagreements and discussions have been replaced by more extreme and aggressive opposition, but screenwriter Carl Ellsworth (Red Eye) knows that film’s effectiveness is driven by being as simple as possible.

On that front, director Derrick Borte doesn’t disappoint, taking us from a horrifying introduction through a string of road-rage set pieces. A diner confrontation involving Jimmi Simpson drips with dread, while a moment involving a police car is genuinely gasp-inducing. The result plays out somewhere between Duel and Changing Lanes, milking a surprising amount of tension from the characters merely changing cars.

Rachel’s decision-making becomes as implausible as the narrative twists are illogical, but Caren Pistorius’ likeable presence and Crowe’s hulking, glowering nastiness are enough to stop you thinking about those things while the engine’s ticking over – and it doesn’t take its foot off the gas until its playful ending, crafting a gritty, grisly ride with enough adrenaline and dark humour to keep you strapped in.

Unhinged is available on Sky Cinema. Don’t have Sky? You can also stream it on NOW, as part of an £11.99 NOW Cinema Membership subscription. For the latest Sky TV packages and prices, click the button below.

 

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