Compasión por el diablo

This movie answers the question that nobody asked: "What if we did Collateral in the desert, with Nicolas Cage and a boring script?".

I know the comparison may not be fair, I mean, the only common threads are a guy with a gun enters a stranger's car, threatens him with a gun and asks him to drive, leaving a chaotic path behind him.

The makers of this movie try to hold the audience captive, by making us think why the bad guy is doing what he's doing, but honestly, the lines are so bad and the twist is so weak, that not even Nic and Joel can save the story.

By the end of the movie, you are left with two unlikable characters and an unsatisfactory conclusion.

Honestly, this feels like a short story, stretched out to a full length feature.

Having said that, if you just want to see Nic Cage's "Caginess" being let out once in a while, you do get to see it, I just don't know if it's worth wasting 1h30 of your life for that.

For some, the promise of Nicolas Cage playing a psychopathic, red-haired Bostonian is simply irresistible. The actor has delivered many entertaining performances as mad characters in the past, from his turn as the chaotic yuppie Peter Loew in 'Vampire's Kiss,' to the criminally insane Castor Troy in 'Face/Off'. Cage has made his bread and butter- and garnered legions of fans- delving into the mind of crazed characters, as he does yet again in Yuval Adler's 'Sympathy for the Devil.'

The film follows David Chamberlain, a married man living in Las Vegas whose wife is in the hospital, having just gone into labour. As he arrives, a scarlet-haired menace with a gun climbs into the back of his car, demanding that he is driven to Boulder City. With a gun to his head, Chamberlain is taken on a journey into fear through the Nevada nightscape; a journey that can only end in violence.

Adler's 'Sympathy for the Devil' is a fairly predictable, though entertaining, thriller that will please Cage fans considerably. Essentially a two-hander, the narrative is slim on originality or surprise, though still keeps one engaged. It is a tense affair, the passenger's unpredictability making for some effectively thrilling moments. Screenwriter Luke Paradise seems to have tailored the dialogue for Cage, giving him some marvellously madcap monologues, which he spouts with his typical nouveau shamanic, Western Kabuki brilliance (nouveau shamanic and Western Kabuki, for those who may not know, being Cage's self-titled acting styles).

However, Joel Kinnaman- as Chamberlain- gets considerably less to do. His character is the grounded parallel to Cage's deranged villain, a stoic man lacking personality or charisma. A wet blanket, he is hard to root for in the face of Cage's magnetic mania. Though Kinnaman performs admirably, and shares a good chemistry with Cage; he does not deliver a memorable performance. Moreover, the cliches that abound throughout the film become quite tiring, leading to an ending as forgettable as it is underwhelming.

Conversely, Steven Holleran's cinematography is a neon-soaked feast for the eyes. Atmospheric and striking, his work compounds the narrative tension. He captures the seedy unease of the Las Vegas night astutely, lending proceedings a Lynchian mood of sleazy agitation. This is complemented by the production design from Burns Burns, as well as Ermelinda Manos's costume design and Anthony Fitzgerald's art direction and set decoration.

Furthermore, Ishai Adar's score contributes to the sordid, mysterious tone, as does the eclectic and evocative soundtrack, making great use of songs from the like of Scott Walker, Alicia Bridges and Jimmy Radcliffe. It is also a well-edited picture, with a good pace from the beginning. At just over an hour and a half, it is relatively short, although Adler and editor Alan Canant's work ensures it doesn't feel in any way rushed.

As alluded to above, despite its faults- predictability chiefly among them- it's a film Cage fans will love. As the erratic gun-toting passenger, he is terrific, clearly having a ball with the material. It's a classic Cage performance- full of unexpected vocalisations, shouting, creepy facial expressions and a little bit of song and dance. He is electrifying to watch and works well with Kinnaman, who- as previously mentioned- is perfectly adequate, though his role doesn't demand much of him.

In short, Yuval Adler's 'Sympathy for the Devil' is one that Nicolas Cage fans will enjoy, though may leave those who do not appreciate his work, unmoved. While Steven Holleran's cinematography is striking, and the soundtrack- as well as Ishai Adar's score- complements the atmosphere, the narrative is unfortunately cliched. Joel Kinnaman's character is also dull and the ending disappoints. In conclusion, while Nicolas Cage is great, the film around him doesn't live up to his talents.

Nicolas Cage gives his expected over-the-top charismatic performance, and is the only reason you may finish watching this poorly paced 90 min predictable slog with nothing really new to offer.

This film has some intense moments, but ultimately, the story is too tired, cliched, predictable, and goes no where - as though the filmmakers are making it up as they go along. You'll find yourself just sitting around until Cage can go wild, wondering if the Mucous Man was really sprinkling boogers in the writer's creative juices as this screenplay was being written.

There was no devil in the details of this script, and the only sympathy the devil deserves should be given to anyone viewing this mess. It's a very generous 5/10 all going to the two leads who gave it their best shot with what little they had to work with.

First of all, I got to praise the actors, great performance. If it wouldn't be Cage, it probably wouldn't be nearly as good!

Then the neon, the music, the night road trip atmosphere, the initial mystery - this is all good stuff I enjoyed about the movie.

On the other hand, it gets a bit tedious still, as movie is non stop dialogue between two main characters and I was waiting for more mysterious twist, for a deeper hook, a better face off and a heavier outcome... As the eventual twist, it was good enough, I guess, ironical, lives up to the name of the movie. Yet I feel it could've been better, there was a room for better.

Anyhow, overall, I did enjoy the movie.

Its another enjoyable modern Cage flick that has style.

I went in to this film expecting a really bad plot and boring characters. Truthfully because of the reviews probably wouldn't of even give it the time of day if it wasn't for Nicholas cage but I am so glad I did. This movie was such a enjoyable film I really enjoyed the plot and Nicholas cages character was outstanding.

Also read while looking in to the film that the Red hair on the character was Nicholas cages idea and it made the character in to something different.

The movie had action violence and even humour with a few plot twists was slightly disappointed with the very ending but all together thought it was really enjoyable and would recommend.