Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Solid but violent two-character cat-and-mouse thriller.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
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Where to Watch
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Sympathy for the Devil
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL, an unnamed Las Vegas man (Joel Kinnaman) takes his son to be looked after by the boy's grandmother so that the man can join his wife in the hospital for the birth of their new baby. In the parking garage, another man (Nicolas Cage) climbs into the first man's car, threatens him with a gun, and tells him to start driving. The driver tries to assess how much danger he's actually in and whether he'll be able to get back to his wife after driving the passenger to his destination. He also keeps his eyes open for possible ways to escape. But the more they drive, the more the passenger seems to have some kind of agenda. He stalls and plays mind games, and it soon becomes apparent that the passenger has targeted the driver for a reason.
Is It Any Good?
So taut and lean that it doesn't even pause to give its characters names, this cat-and-mouse thriller succeeds thanks to vigorous performances by Kinnaman and Cage. Sympathy for the Devil begins wisely, establishing that the driver and his wife had lost a child before the successful birth of their son -- which means this particular pregnancy/birth has high stakes, and the driver needs to be there.
From there, the screenplay cleverly balances tension with over-the-top moments of dialogue (the driver interrupting the passenger one too many times). Words fly sideways like bullets in a crossfire. In one sequence, the passenger suddenly announces "let's eat!," and they stop for a bravura sequence in a diner that starts with an argument over cheese and tuna melts and climaxes with Cage strutting to the tune of the jukebox and wreaking all manner of havoc. Ultimately, Sympathy for the Devil is no Tarantino. It doesn't go very deep, and the final motivation behind everything is so ordinary that it's a letdown, but for most of its running time, it's a good, diverting B movie.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Sympathy for the Devil's violence. How did it make you feel? Was it exciting? Shocking? What did the movie show or not show to achieve this effect?
What does the title mean? Can we have sympathy for a person who has done terrible things? Why, or why not?
How are drinking and smoking portrayed? Are they glamorized? Are there consequences? Why is that important?
What is a cat-and-mouse story? What's unique about it?
What is the nature of revenge? Can it be satisfying? Why? Can it ever truly solve a problem?
Movie Details
- In theaters : July 28, 2023
- On DVD or streaming : September 26, 2023
- Cast : Joel Kinnaman , Nicolas Cage , Alexis Zollicoffer
- Director : Yuval Adler
- Studio : RLJE Films
- Genre : Thriller
- Run time : 90 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : August 3, 2023
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