Sympathy for the Devil (2023 film)

Sympathy for the Devil is a 2023 American psychological thriller film[3] directed by Yuval Adler and written by Luke Paradise. It stars Nicolas Cage as The Passenger and Joel Kinnaman as The Driver.

Sympathy for the Devil
Theatrical release poster
Directed byYuval Adler
Written byLuke Paradise
Produced by
Starring
CinematographySteven Holleran
Edited byAlan Canant
Music byIshai Adar
Production
companies
  • Capstone Global
  • Hammerstone Studios
  • Signature Films
Distributed byRLJE Films
Release dates
Running time
90 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$158,832[2]

The film had its world premiere at the Fantasia International Film Festival on July 22, 2023, before its theatrical release on July 28, by RLJE Films.

Plot

After being forced to drive a mysterious passenger at gunpoint, a man finds himself in a high-stakes game of cat and mouse where it becomes clear that not everything is as it seems.[4]

Cast
  • Nicolas Cage as The Passenger
  • Joel Kinnaman as The Driver
  • Alexis Zollicoffer as the Waitress
  • Cameron Lee Price as the Cop
  • Oliver McCallum as the Boy
  • Burns Burns as the Owner
  • Rich Hopkins as the Trucker
  • Nancy Good as Grandma
  • Kaiwi Lyman as Colleague

Production

Principal photography began in Las Vegas in July 2022.[4] Approximately half the film was shot at a Las Vegas-based virtual studio owned by Vū Technologies.[5] Sympathy for the Devil was the first feature film in Nevada history to be shot on an LED sound stage.[6]

Release

In September 2022, the film was presented to buyers at TIFF.[7][8] In March 2023, RLJE Films acquired the North America, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand distribution rights.[9] The film had its world premiere at the Fantasia International Film Festival on July 22, 2023 and was released in theaters on July 28, 2023.[10][9] It will be released by Signature Entertainment in the United Kingdom and Ireland.[11]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 58% of 79 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.6/10. The website's consensus reads: "Sympathy for the Devil makes the most of Nicolas Cage's propensity for playing unhinged characters – and for some viewers, that'll be more than enough to make it worth a watch."[12] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 54 out of 100, based on 18 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[13]

Bobby LePire from Film Threat wrote, "Cage and Kinnaman work well together, with the former being gloriously over-the-top and the latter keeping things grounded in a form of reality. All in all, this thriller works from beginning to end".[14] The San Francisco Chronicle's Mick LaSalle gave a positive review saying, "It takes a while for it all to come into focus, but one thing is clear: This very well-made thriller doesn't have only one mystery man in it. It has two".[15]

Greg Archer of MovieWeb praised Cage's performance saying, "It's a tour du force performance for the books."[16] Jordan Mintzer of The Hollywood Reporter noted as "[Nicolas] Cage chews up every scene he's in and seems to be having a blast — he's always over-the-top and never boring to watch, in a film that delivers the goods for those who like him best when he's just about lost his mind".[17]

References
  1. "Sympathy for the Devil (15)". British Board of Film Classification. August 22, 2023. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  2. "Sympathy for the Devil". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
  3. Grobar, Matt (March 16, 2023). "RLJE Films Nabs Psychological Thriller Sympathy For The Devil Starring Nicolas Cage And Joel Kinnaman". Deadline Hollywood.
  4. Lang, Brent (September 6, 2022). "Nicolas Cage, Joel Kinnaman Starring in Psychological Thriller 'Sympathy for the Devil' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
  5. Ingenthron, Blair (October 22, 2022). "Vū Las Vegas Studio Plays Key Role in SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL Starring Nicolas Cage and Joel Kinnaman". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
  6. Guzzo, Paul (October 21, 2022). "Tampa's Vū Technologies produced a Nicolas Cage movie". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
  7. Mantilla, Ryan Louis (September 6, 2022). "Nicolas Cage and Joel Kinnaman to Star in Thriller 'Sympathy for the Devil'". Collider. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  8. White, James (September 6, 2022). "Nicolas Cage And Joel Kinnaman Starring In Sympathy For The Devil". Empire. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  9. Reul, Katie (March 16, 2023). "Nicolas Cage's Sympathy for the Devil Acquired by RLJE Films". Variety. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  10. Mauricette, Carolyn (July 6, 2023). "Sympathy For The Devil". Fantasia International Film Festival. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  11. Ritman, Alex (July 14, 2023). "Nicolas Cage Thriller Sympathy for the Devil Picked up by Signature for U.K. (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
  12. "Sympathy for the Devil". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
  13. "Sympathy for the Devil". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
  14. LePire, Bobby (July 24, 2023). "Sympathy For The Devil Featured, Reviews Film Threat". Film Threat. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
  15. LaSalle, Mick (July 24, 2023). "Review: Nicolas Cage is a raving lunatic in Sympathy for the Devil". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
  16. "Sympathy For The Devil Review: Nicolas Cage Is Completely Unhinged In This Highway-to-Hell Thriller". MovieWeb. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
  17. Mintzer, Jordan (July 24, 2023). "Sympathy for the Devil Review: An Unhinged Nicolas Cage Drives a Standard if Enjoyable Road Thriller". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
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