Nicolas Cage steals the show with a gloriously unhinged performance in “Sympathy for the Devil”—a chaotic, character-driven thriller.
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It’s Mystery Thriller week. The random number generator gave us the unfortunate Looking Glass (2018), which turned out to be less of a sleeper hit and more of a flat-out snooze fest. Will we have better luck with the People’s Pick, the 2023 film Sympathy for the Devil? It promises the schlocky fun of a B-movie thriller, but does it deliver? Is it a hell of a good time, or does it drive us off the deep end? Let’s find out!
IN THIS CORNER: KELLY MINTZER
The Lowdown
I tend to be a little dubious about movies named after songs. I honestly don’t know why; it’s not particularly warranted, it’s just a strange little mental hurdle I need to clear. And honestly, Steph and I have been on a bonkers run with Nic Cage movies. But y’all… I’m not prepared to say it’s necessarily good, but Sympathy for the Devil went down like a cool drink of water.
Let’s start with the very basic premise. While on the way to the hospital to be with his wife while she gives birth, Joel Kinnaman (and, sidebar, could they have possibly paired Nic Cage with an actor less like him in style and approach?) takes on a mysterious passenger. Of course, it’s Nic fully cocaine Cage-ing. The mystery is his intention and purpose, and the film is dedicated to unravelling that.
Which is a pretty fun conceit! And aside from Nic Cage’s presumably sky-high fee, it was probably a pretty cheap movie to make.
Here is where the movie scratches a very Kelly-specific itch. I love a bottle episode and/or movie. Give me one location (in this case, Kinnamen’s car) and show me what you can do. While I’m not suggesting they never deviate at all from that environ, the movie does stick pretty damn close. And it succeeds! It builds pretty intense tension.
I’m not prepared to say it’s perfect. Some plot points are pretty silly and I have NEVER seen a post-middle aged man rocking the hair color Cage’s passenger is voluntarily wearing. But really? I had fun watching it. I was engaged by it. It felt like someone actually cared about this one, which should be the bare minimum, but 50 + Nic Cage movies in, I know it’s not.
The Cage Factor:
In my efforts to keep a steady and reasonable rating method for this experiment, I have to sometimes remind myself that I’m not just weighing this week’s movie against last week’s. And with that in mind, I can’t in good conscience call this essential. It’s fun, but I also think I would have been fine with not seeing it. So let’s comfortably call it a Cautious Cage, but with an edge of c’mon. Give it a try.
AND IN THIS CORNER: STEPHANIE MALONE
The Lowdown
Some films exist to tell a story. Others exist to unleash the power of full-throttle Nicolas Cage. Sympathy for the Devil is firmly in the second category.
Directed by Yuval Adler and written by Luke Paradise, this claustrophobic two-hander kicks off with an enticing premise: a man (Joel Kinnaman) is forced to drive a mysterious, flamboyant stranger (Cage, in full peacock mode) at gunpoint, unsure of his captor’s motives or his fate.
Critics were lukewarm on Sympathy for the Devil, and that tepid reception is understandable. Its story is thin, its themes undercooked, and the pacing wobbles like a poorly balanced tire.
This is a film where the plot mostly serves as scaffolding for Cage to swing from. But oh, what a swing it is!
With devil-red hair, a devil-may-care attitude, and an arsenal of bizarre vocal inflections, Cage is clearly having the time of his life as “The Passenger.”. His performance is the reason to press play. For those who relish “Mega-Acting” Cage, this is catnip. He commits so hard that even when the film around him falters, you stay glued to the screen just to see what wild turn he’ll take next.
To his credit, Joel Kinnaman (of RoboCop fame, who was excellent in John Woo’s Silent Night—released the same year as Sympathy for the Devil) is no slouch as “The Driver.” He plays the weary, increasingly frazzled straight man with admirable restraint, offering a quiet foil to Cage’s chaos tornado. His performance might get lost in the fireworks, but it’s essential—it grounds the film just enough to keep it from floating off into pure absurdity.
Ultimately, Sympathy for the Devil is a flawed thriller elevated significantly by Nicolas Cage doing what he does best. Go into it expecting a showcase for Cage’s wild energy within a fairly standard B-movie framework, rather than a top-tier cinematic experience, and you’ll likely have a better time… especially if you’re a dedicated fan of that specific Nicolas Cage.
The Cage Factor:
Cage is back in top form, delivering considerable fan service for those who can’t get enough of his characteristically unhinged, energetic, and scenery-chewing performances. He fully commits to the role, and it’s a blast to watch.
Admittedly, the film puts an awful lot of heavy lifting on Cage’s (more than capable) shoulders. Because of this, many critics dismissed it as a vehicle designed purely for “Cage Rage” rather than a compelling film in its own right. But if that’s your speed, Sympathy for the Devil puts the pedal to the metal; it’s almost guaranteed to fuel your desire.
Cage’s performance is the primary reason to watch the film, and he dominates the screen with manic energy, memorable line deliveries, and a flamboyant flair. For the true Cage-heads, this is almost essential. For the rest, it’s a curiosity—entertaining, occasionally gripping, but ultimately carried on the back of one man’s beautifully bonkers performance.
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