2020 has been a unanimously shit year for everyone, but few have had as bad a time as poor Rachel Hunter. A single mother facing financial difficulties whilst in the process of divorce proceedings, Rachel is in a bit of a stressful bind, however her life is about to get a lot worse. One morning when driving her son to school one day, she honks rather at a grey truck that doesn’t move on a green light; little does she know that the man behind the wheel of that car is an unhinged psychopath ready to pounce on the next person who crosses him. What started as an everyday aggressive altercation in traffic soon becomes a sadistic lesson in what the meaning of a bad day really is.
(Russell Crowe with Director Derrick Borte on the set of Unhinged)
Unhinged stars academy award winner Russell Crowe, as the truck driving psychopath and to say he is the highlight of the film is an understatement. Crowe commits 150% to this film, chewing up the scenery for every second he is on screen for, it is a shame however that he isn’t given much to work with. The film opens with Crowe taking off a wedding ring, breaking into a house, bashing the occupants to death with a hammer before burning the house to the ground. From this rather extreme opening we can assume that he is recently divorced and the couple he kills are his ex-wife and her new partner, however an explanation as to what chain of events led to this violent act would’ve helped explain the rest of his actions throughout this incredibly sinister film. Crowe explains his characters action as a man that has already crossed the line and so doesn’t care anymore; however, not divulging the how or the why makes him one dimensional, generic and ultimately results in a bland and hollow film. This all being, Crowe’s underdeveloped character is far from the worst thing about this film.
(Russell Crowe in Unhinged)
Unhinged is a road rage stalker thriller that, similar to its psychopathic star, goes too far. This film prides itself on its relatable road rage concept, however this realistic context, in addition to the current social climate, makes this psycho thriller a truly nauseating watch. This is a very dark movie and honestly, with the state of the world right now and the widespread scaremongering in the mass media, the last thing we need to be watching is an overtly cynical film that fuels fear about the world we are attempting to get back to.
(Caren Pistorius in Unhinged)
Overall, Unhinged is a truly grotesque film that couldn’t have come out at a worse time. Granted, this film was made before COVID, was delayed several times because of it and Russell Crowe is an incredibly watchable villain who relishes the role he is given, nonetheless, everything this film is about is nasty, nihilistic and frankly rather sickening. Perhaps with a less dystopian social climate this film would have faired better in my eyes, however at this precise moment in time, Unhinged should be avoided.
Unhinged is available on EST, VOD, DVD, Blu-Ray and Itunes in 4K on 23rd November, but don’t say I didn’t warn you