Film Review: Drive Angry {{2011}}

Anyone that has seen the commercials to Drive Angry would think it's another movie where Nicolas Cage is just driving a damn car like in Gone in 60 Seconds. The actual movie was not what the commercials depicted and I am glad the cover to this book was not what was on the inside.

Drive Angry

~~Warning Spoilers Ahead~~

Opening we see a red prison and a Rivera and the a very cool narration of how men escape the bars of imprisonment.
Next we see a truck racing  in Laughter, Colorado.  The three men in the truck talk about someone that is chasing them and wondering if he was dead.  They're wrestling a guilty conscious about what they did and knowing this person will make them pay.
Out of no where the car shows up and John Milton {{Nicolas Cage}} Uses his gun to shoot the truck, causing it to have a wreck.  Shoot off one of the arms of the men and robs him.  Shoots another survive and walks over to the truck where the other guy tells him that he will not tell him where they took "her". Where John kills him.  Milton walks over to the guy that he shot in the leg.
He asks for the baby girl and the survivor tell him that she is going to die on the full moon.  As Milton walks away, he shoots the gas leak and it blows up the truck.
Starting the movie credit.
At a diner, Piper {{Amber Heard}} is talking to Norma Jean{{Katy Mixon}} talking about her boyfriend proposing to her. Milton talks to the other waitress about Still water Marsh, but finds out it's in Louisiana. Piper quits her job after her boss sexually harasses her over her giving a hungry family some muffins.  Piper takes off and her car breaks down.  Milton fixes Piper's car after she agrees to give him a ride.
We see a man dressed in a suit walking.  Back at the diner, the owner is laughing as Norma trying to throw the trash away.  "The Accountant" {{William Fitchner}} asks about a traveler and gives Milton's description.  After getting the information he needs, "the Accountant" leaves.
Piper stops at her apartment and lets Milton know that she quit her job, her man, Frank {{Todd Farmer}} is out of work and they just got engaged.  Milton wishes her luck and heads off.  Piper walks in to find Frank cheating on her with Mona Elkins {{Christa Campbell}}.  Milton rescues Piper after Frank hits her on the ground from her going off on him about leaving to Florida.  Frank gets knocked out by an air conditioning unit.
Milton is having flashbacks of his daughter as he is driving Piper's car.  He sees Jonah King {{Billy Burke}} takes her baby and kills her.  As he is driving he sees how Jonah enjoyed killing his daughter.  Piper wakes up and asks if he killed her fiancee, Frank.  Was glad to hear that he didn't kill him.  Milton asks her if he would drive him to Louisiana on her way to Florida, because he was looking for someone. 
At a bar in Oklahoma, Piper and Milton get a drink and a motel room.  Piper hands Candy {{Charlotte Ross}}, the waitress Milton's ID.  Candy laughs because she mentions that his ID is ancient, but agrees to give him the beer any ways.  Piper goes to her motel room and she'll see him at dawn.
Back at Frank's place, he is on the phone with his mom telling her that it was over.  Frank is assuming that the police arrive but opens the door and meets "The Accountant".  "The Accountant" asks him about a traveler.  Frank gives "the Accountant" some information, but tries to man handle "the Accountant" but gets thrown across the room.  Frank grabs a baseball bat and it's used against him with it being broken in two and one of it is used to pin Frank to wall.  "The Accountant" finally gets some answers out of Frank, but eventually kills him.
"The Accountant" walks out the door and meets two troopers, who find Frank dead.  "The Accountant" does a really cool trick with the coin into transforming it into a FBI badge.  He gets the two Troopers to help him find John Milton along with Piper. 
Back at the motel, Piper is pounding the wall to get the couple in the next room to shut up.  Piper sees a man and follows him into an empty bar.  On the news, she sees the bulletin about Colorado issuing a warrant for Jonah King and how this religious Sect killed a married couple and taking their newborn baby girl.  Piper hides as she sees shadows coming into the bar.  Jonah walks in and admires himself on the news.
A crew of men walk in and a man give Piper's and Milton's room.  Johan gives orders to kill Milton.  Milton is having sex with Candy in their room and has an all out gun fight that ends in the life of Piper's little boy toy that was painting her nails from earlier.
Milton and Piper attempt to leave the motel.  "The Accountant" reminds the troopers about their mission when they spot Johan King.  Johan King leaves the motel.  "The Accountant" enters the bar and smells Milton and exits the place.  The Troopers get killed in the process of trying to apprehend Milton. Milton is shocked that Piper killed them.  Piper questions Milton about the situation he got her in.  Milton lets Piper know that the baby girl is his grand-daughter and he is going to get her back.
"The Accountant" pursues them in the troopers car.   Milton and "The Accountant" exchange some banter, before he pulls out an old gun called the "God Killer".  Causing the Troopers car to loose control and go over the bridge.  Milton lets her know that he was someone else and the gun is used on people like him, which states that "The Accountant" isn't from this realm.
Back at the motel, we see the Captain take charge of the crime scene.  Wondering how two Colorado troopers ended up in their state and on the wrong side of a gun fight.
Two guys showed up at the car wreck from the "The Accountant" and gives a very small but brief discussion to the guys.  Informing them of their when their time is up.
Milton tells Piper about how Johan was into Satanic magic and what he did to his daughter.  Piper tells Milton about Johan's van at a church.  Milton goes inside and the people inside look like they are worshiping.  They walk in with Piper, but Milton tells them to let them go and hand them the child.  Johan doesn't want to give him the child because he felt he abandoned his daughter.  His daughter telling everyone that he was dead.  Milton tells Johan some private things that only Johan would know and Jack.  Johan gets pissed and kills Jack and shooting Milton in the eye.
Piper gets pissed and tries to attack Johan, but is brought back by his followers.  Johan decides to keep Piper and they haul her off to an RV, while she is kicking and screaming.  Johan talks to the "appearing" dead body of Milton and let's him know about the femur bone he uses as a cane is actually part of his daughter.  They leave with Piper.  Back at the church, they discuss about burying Milton in the back.  He scares everyone in wondering why he is not dead and shoots them.  Leaves in Piper's car .  He looks in the mirror and puts on sunglasses having a few of them chase after him.
In the RV, Johan sees Milton following them.  Everyone is curious about how he is still alive, but Johan educates them that they have a fight ahead of them.  Piper starts a fight with one of the cult members and manages to shove her out the back window of the RV.  Milton is having a high speed car chase with the other cult members, but manages to get rid of them.  Johan tells Piper that he changes his mind about teaching her and that he plans on killing her.  Piper informs him till that time comes, she was planning on kicking his ass.
Milton is trying to get rid of the other cult members.  As Johan almost has bested Piper, she uses his medallion and stabs him the chest.  Milton knocks out the windshield before Piper jumps on it.  Johan proves that he is a lousy shot while he is shooting to kill not only Milton but Piper causing the car to break down.  Piper is very curious about how Milton is still alive.
Piper starts to put some pieces together that Milton maybe not telling the entire truth.  Milton tells her to help him push the car off the road and to call an old friend of his to help him out.
Back at the church, the only survivor is asking "the Accountant" for some help.  The survivor tells him about the symbol on his chest. "The Accountant" knows of no such pact or the symbol and is curious about what Milton wants with them.  The survivor sort of realizes that this person he is talking to may not be in fact a person at all.
Piper talks to Milton while his old friend, Webster {{David Morse}}is curious to see him alive, when he knows he is dead.  Webster informs Piper that he carried Milton's coffin.  Milton informs Webster about his daughter and that is the reason he is back.  Webster informs Piper about how Milton died, the situation about his love for his daughter. Webster pokes fun at him about the fire and him being home sick, which now entails us that Milton was sent to hell and escaped hell's prison to save his grand-daughter.
Milton explains that fire isn't the worse thing that happened, it's the video feed that is pumped.  It's the torment that you can't do anything to save your daughter.  Webster informs Milton that he can't fix that car but he has a Cheville that he can use to get him to where he needs to be.
Johan King calls the police and gives Milton's location.  Milton tells Webster that he needs to stay behind and whispers something to him about him taking only Piper. Milton does tell Piper that it is going to be dangerous and she goes with anyways.  Milton and Piper are tailed by police officers and the Captain informs his troopers to aim for their tires {{shoot to kill}}
Milton doesn't want to kill Piper, so he stops the car.  On the other end of the road, "The Accountant" drives a truck filled with hydrogen and is very amused...humming to a classic song.  Some nice fancy driving, "the Accountant" gets out of the truck allowing Milton and Piper to escape. "The Accountant" makes the troopers believe he is a FBI agent.  "The Accountant" smells one of Johan King's men and demands that he call Johan and tell him that Milton is dead.
Milton and Piper drive on through to Deacon Tree.  He tells Piper to wait for him as he scopes out the scene.  When he arrives back to the car, Piper is used as bait for "the Accountant" to lure Milton into having a conversation.  Milton pulls out the "Iron God Killer", and informs him that if he shoots him that he would cease to exist, no heaven, no hell.   "The Accountant" pulls a knife on Piper and tells Milton that the road block would have killed Milton.  But "The Accountant" is curious about how Milton left Hell with "the God Killer".  Milton informs him that he just walked in and took it.
Milton is curious as to why "the Accountant" is helping him.  Piper freaks thinking that Johan is going to bring hell on earth.  "The Accountant" informs her that Satan, is the warden of a very large prison and how he hates Satanists that sacrifice children in his honor.  Annoys him greatly.  Milton asks for "the Accountant" to help him, but is informed that either way he wins.  He saves the baby or if Johan kills him.
Johan is preaching to his cult and is about to take kill the baby.  The sound of the car engine disrupts the group and he goes on a shooting spree in killing of Johan King's cult.   The survivor from the beginning and the trooper go up to "the Accountant" and tell him that they are going to live forever.  With the quickness of his coin, "the Accountant" kills them.  Piper takes the God Killer and threatens "the Accountant" but is informed that he didn't steal it to kill him, but to slow him down and she should go to him.
Down below Milton is finishing off the rest of Johan's men.  Some how missing Johan with every bullet.  Milton manages to kill everyone but Johan, the Nanny and Johan's right hand man.
Piper arrives in time to shoot off the God Killer and eliminating Johan's right hand man.  Milton tries to crawl towards the baby, but Johan starts to beat him with his daughter's femur.  We see that Milton's eyes go from the baby to the God Killer on the floor.  Johan tells Milton that the baby's death would be worse than his daughter's death.  Milton tells Johan that he will kill him, but Johan informs him that others have tried but nothing of this world could kill him.
"The Accountant" comes out and distracts Johan as Milton grabs the God Killer and shoots Johan...evaporating him into a hole, leaving his skull behind.  Piper comes to and goes to Milton.  "The Accountant" takes the baby and hands it to Milton, who in turn hands the baby to Piper.  Milton tells Piper that he is finished and asks Piper to care for his grand-daughter.  Piper promises and Milton dies.  She walks to Webster and they both look back and "The Accountant" and Milton are gone.
"The Accountant" walks around a tree and Milton is enjoying some beer out of Johan King's skull.  "The Accountant" summons a car and Milton tells him that if Satan puts him back in that hole that he will get out.  Amused, "the Accountant" states he will be looking forward to that.  They drive through a portal back to hell and across a long bridge that dissolves as they drive closer to the prison. 


~Production Notes~
Drive Angry was directed by Patrick Lussier and written by Patrick Lussier and Todd Farmer. Shot in 3-D, Drive Angry was released in February 2011 with mixed reviews.  Grossing over $30 million dollars.

Nicolas Cage liked the idea of having his character's eye shot out, since his previous film-Season of the Witch.  Nicolas Cage had gone to the producers of the film requesting such a thing for his character but was rejected.


~Final Thoughts~
Granted Nicolas Cage had some cross breed of the Sorcerers Apprentice deal going on with his look and attitude and his acting has become very spot on with certain characters like Johnny Depp after he did Jack Sparrow.
I loved the concept of this movie and how hell was more of a prison to keep evil men.  The accountant is really a demon who has to collect the souls that escape...sort of like a bounty hunter.  I know there is things they could have made it better, but it was entertaining as hell.  Yes, it got a bit monotonous about Nick in a car driving angry across several states to get his grand baby back.
William Fichtner's acting as the Accountant really made this film entertaining and giving me reasons to watch this movie over and over again.  I am more of a fan to William Fichtner and love all his roles and it was really nice to see him play the Accountant and yet at times, you really could tell that he wanted to laugh on certain lines.
It is a supernatural high with a demon is tracking a soul that is on a mission to save his grand-daughter....which in God's eyes would have been a cause for reprieve out of hell...but that is my opinion. Everyone knows that self-less acts of kindness gives you access to heaven. 


~Ratings~
Each film is rated individually

~Hellz Writer~