Sympathy for the Devil (2023) | Film Review

In the grand scheme of plot descriptions, there is little more guaranteed to excite a cinephile for a film than “Nicolas Cage goes full Cage”. As fans, it is difficult to find any actor with as much commitment to giving any project one-hundred-percent, each and every time. Regardless of budget or scope, even in a simple indie film comprised of two actors driving and talking as seen in Sympathy for the Devil, Nic Cage always delivers.

Though names do fly as the film rolls on, Joel Kinnaman is officially credited as The Driver. He is a father of one, and his wife is in the hospital just as the film opens preparing to birth their second. His world comes crashing down when a maniacal stranger arrives dressed to the nines with hair dyed red, carefully matching his slick suit.

Nicolas Cage is The Passenger, and in true Collateral fashion, he is hijacking The Driver and his car for destinations unknown, committed to killing anyone who stumbles in and obstructs their path. The Passenger is at first appearance a typical Cage lunatic, but as with all the best performances from the talented thespian, there is a far deeper pathology behind that snarky, shit-eating grin.

Where the film goes – and the story it tells – would be considered a spoiler, as half the fun is the journey. I will tell you that Sympathy for the Devil is a character piece that will play completely differently for you upon a rewatch. The layers packed into Luke Paradise’s eclectic screenplay only expose themselves fully as we roll into the final act, but it is worth journey.

Director Yuval Adler does his best to utilize the seedy Las Vegas backdrop to jazz up his film, neon colors and misty streets, but this piece – ostensibly two guys yapping in a car – rests completely on the shoulders of its two leads.

Joel Kinnaman’s performance as The Driver is rather laidback, compartmentalized even, but a solid foil for the absurdity stacked in Cage’s The Passenger. Both men have a lot packed into their characters (The Driver is constantly doing what he can to save both himself and innocent civilians from The Passenger’s murder spree), but Kinnaman’s take is far more reserved. The Driver is a timid man who harbors a meek nervousness about him. Could it be worry over the birth of his child? Could it be secrets amidst that slick Las Vegas backdrop? Could it be absolutely nothing? Time will soon tell.

Nic Cage is another extreme. While there are moments of relative calmness, The Passenger is a ticking time-bomb of violence, with Cage willing to amplify any moment – any WORD – to pump up his own savage adrenaline. This is another winning performance from Cage, and it is especially important to point out how smoothly he maneuvers between insanity and vulnerability at the drop of a bullet casing.

This is tailor-made for Cage fans and those that love a good cat-and-mouse character study alike. There are twists, turns, and a killer soundtrack. Get ready, because Sympathy for the Devil delivers a hefty dose of the Cagiest Cage that Cage has ever Caged.

Listen to our full review of Sympathy for the Devil on this episode of The Hollywood Outsider podcast: