Drive Angry's dramatic implosion at the box office (an opening weekend of ninth place and only $10 million grossed in total on a budget of around $50 million) probably signalled the final nail in the coffin of Cage headlining big budget action movies. This was a huge shame as it is everything that Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodgriguez's Grindhouse movies should have been: over the top violence mixed with supernatural hokum, along with black humour and a winning commitment to tastelessness at every turn. In fairness, it's the very definition of a Marmite film, one that you will either love or hate. But we can't help but feel that it is destined for cult status in the coming years and could experience a critical re-examination at some point. Maybe. Drive Angry is the story of John Milton (Cage), a badass dude who breaks out of Hell (yep) in his American muscle car and sets about tracking down the cult leader who murdered his daughter. He is also pursued by The Accountant, played to perfection by William Fichtner, an agent of Hell who has been tasked with dragging Milton back to the fiery abyss. Fichtner is arguably the most memorable aspect of the movie, creating a character so delightfully and darkly funny that he more than deserved his own solo adventure. Director Patrick Lussier also made tremendous use of 3D, with various impalings and shootings bursting through the screen with a gleeful helping of gore.
