Sympathy for the Devil (2023) Review

As previously discussed on this very website, Nicholas Cage is fast becoming one of the most interesting actors in Hollywood with a string of relentless and random roles working with directors both experienced or other wise across a raft of genres.

His eclectic and eccentric output has included stand out turns in the sensational anti-action movie Pig and the highly original horror Willy’s Wonderland as well as Sion Sono’s surrealist Prisoners of the Ghostland all in 2021.

Playing himself in 2022’s The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, a tongue in cheek meta action comedy, 2023 has already seen him as a grizzled gunslinger in Western The Old Way and the Prince of Darkness himself in comedy horror Renfield where he became Dracula.

Proving the point further in Sympathy for the Devil Cage changes it up again taking on the role of The Passenger in Israeli director Yuval Adler’s tense and fascinating thriller penned by Luke Paradise.

With his red hair and satin jacket, two thousand dollar boots and Bostonian accent Cage takes The Driver (Joel Kinnaman) hostage at gun point forcing him from the hospital he has just arrived at where his wife is giving birth and back onto the neon lit streets of Las Vegas on a journey that will change both characters lives.

A mysterious and malevolent force Cage’s character gives a number of reasons for the unplanned journey from needing to see his devout Catholic mother who is dying of lung cancer in another hospital to taking his captive to see a shady gangster. As his story shifts we learn more about the man holding the gun while also uncovering some shocking truths about the person sitting alongside him.

Character driven in more ways than one Sympathy for the Devil features pitch perfect performances from both of the films stars. As The Driver Kinnaman is a bundle of nerves desperately trying to work out what the manic man who has forced him to leave his wife and unborn child could want.

Gurning and shouting his way through some scenes and then suddenly delivering others with a reserved and restrained rage that is far more frightening Cage’s unhinged acting keeps his quarry and the spectators guessing.

From Edward G Robinson impression to monologues about his childhood stuffy nose which was brought on by the Mucus Man to a full blown song and dance scene where he mimes and gyrates along to Alicia Bridges disco classic I Love the Nightlife, Cage and the script deliver everything you would want and more.

For a film which predominately features 2 actors talking, Yuval Adler does an excellent job of not making things seem stagy or stale. While in the car we often cut to Sin City at night wizzing by the window and when the duo do stop there are some explosive and impressive scenes of action and excitement.

The soundtrack both original and otherwise is amazing combining a disjointed and unnerving score with a series of fitting songs heard on the car radio and throughout the films environments.

Blending gangster movie themes with a dramatic story and motifs and mentions of the occult Sympathy for the Devil is a thrilling ride from start to finish with a pair of actors firing on all cylinders.

Toying with the viewer throughout its title both asks the audience who is the real devil and who do you actually end up having sympathy for, questions that will linger with you long after the credits have rolled on by.

Movie Rating:

Sympathy for the Devil trailer: