7 Ups & 4 Downs From Russell Crowe's Unhinged

Ups...

7. One Hell Of An Opening Scene

Onto the positives.

If, that is, a depressed ex-husband who murders his ex-wife and her new man then burns down their home could be considered positive. In the context of film, it can; this opening scene is a cracker. It's provocative, curious and raises enough questions without outstaying its welcome.

Crowe's facial expressions were on the money throughout too. His heavy breathing replaces any dialogue whatsoever, and his nervous glances in between stuffing pills into his mouth give the scene an anxious weight that draws the viewer in. Then, it's all hammers to the head, fire and explosions.

The fact nobody on the street seems to respond doesn't seem totally silly either. Unhinged opens with news snippets telling of random acts of violence becoming the norm, so people in this world must be used to even the most distressing incidents one could imagine.