Nicolas Cage somehow delivers one of his most unhinged performances yet while keeping it grounded in the grittiness of the movie, opposite an electric Joel Kinnaman, in Yuval Adler’s demented road trip horror/thriller, Sympathy for the Devil. This twisted little treat should give genre fans everything they want and more from one of cinema’s most reliably talented performers; Cage, who also produces, knows exactly what he’s doing. Essentially a two-hander, Kinnaman plays an unsuspecting character credited as “The Driver,” whilst Cage portrays “The Passenger.” These two actors have both excelled in largely varied work in their respective careers—Kinnaman was the best part of Netflix’s flashy, unforgettable sci-fi series, Altered Carbon, and Cage’s recent meta turn in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent proved he doesn’t mind making fun of himself. A sharp script from Luke Paradise combine this unlikely duo together on a road trip from hell, marking one of the Fantasia Film Festival’s most exciting debuts this year.
The Passenger hops into The Driver’s car right as he looks for a parking spot at the hospital. The Driver then gets taken at gunpoint during the film’s opening minutes, forced to travel to Boulder City while his wife is in labor at a Las Vegas hospital. Why does The Passenger want him to pick a card? “I’m your family emergency now,” The Passenger chimes maniacally from the backseat. From here, Sympathy for the Devil becomes a high-octane thrill ride filled with gunshots, Molotov cocktails, “cheddah,” and Cage’s hilarious outbursts of manic energy.
Each stop on their journey provides ample opportunity for Cage and Kinnaman to stretch their acting chops. The Passenger seems to keep noting The Driver’s bluffs, calling him out for trying to develop sympathy for his own story so that perhaps The Passenger will not fulfill his twisted endgame. What exactly does The Passenger want? Will he even let The Driver live once all is said and done? Cage gets to rant about Mucus Men, wanting to be “100% sex tonight,” and constantly make philosophical quotes by way of The Passenger. Kinnaman’s passionate pleas to get back to his family and the literal birth of his child endear The Driver all the more.
A major highlight comes in the final act, during a crucial sequence set at the Roadhouse Diner. In many ways, this entire segment seems like what Sympathy for the Devil has been building towards all along. An “I Love the Nightlife” needle drop and some strategically-executed slow-motion are just the “cheddah” on top of an already propulsive, delicious tuna melt. Featuring two actors at the top of their game, Sympathy for the Devil is a dark, fast-paced horror/thriller destined for cult status.
Sympathy for the Devil debuted at 2023’s Fantasia International Film Festival. Don’t miss it in theaters on Friday, July 28th.
