Respond to these rapid questions in our Unhinged Quiz and we will tell you which Unhinged character you are. Play it now.
“America’s Heartland,” read the license plates of the unknown state where the thriller “Unhinged” takes place. The implication is that the horrors that unfold over the course of one incredibly dramatic day—and the rage that drives them—could occur anywhere, even in a seemingly wholesome, secure section of the country. (For the record, “Unhinged” was shot in Louisiana, which offers tax incentives for film production.)
That much is evident from the sequence of sorrow that runs across filmmaker Derrick Borte’s gritty film’s opening titles. We see scenes of traffic jams, vehicle collisions, rioting, and random violence paired with talk radio tales of job losses, general despair, and badly underfunded and understaffed police forces, which is vital because it lays the basis for the mayhem to come. “You have to defend yourself these days,” a frightened voice adds. “We’re going backwards,” another adds.
Unhinged Quiz
However, writer Carl Ellsworth (“Disturbia,” “The Last House on the Left”) has written a story that aims to exploit the nation’s gloom for cheap and gruesome B-movie jolts. Rather of exploring true feelings of disenfranchisement across the country (which, arguably, led to our current presidential government), “Unhinged” tawdryly indulges in such concerns and frustrations. It appears to indicate that you are correct in your distrust of your neighbors. After all, we live in a society where a simple altercation at a traffic signal can turn into an all-day road rage chase resulting in numerous bloodied bodies. But you shouldn’t waste any more time and start this Unhinged quiz.
Russell Crowe plays the chaos agent who is both physically and symbolically fueling this frantic hunt. Because he could be any of us, he’s only known as The Man. Crowe is vastly overqualified to play this ill-defined role. So much so that you’re left wondering why he’d say yes. The little pleasures that “Unhinged” provides come from the highs and lows that he is able to navigate. The Man is either wreaking havoc on his victim with all his bearded, burly might, which is inadvertently amusing, or he’s toying with his prey in a frightening rumble, which is occasionally successful. Crowe’s persona is discreetly scary at first, but gradually exposes himself to be incredibly indestructible, like a malignant Foghorn Leghorn in a huge pickup truck. Also, you will find out which character are you in this Unhinged quiz.
Rachel (Caren Pistorius), a hurried hairdresser who is already having a bad morning when she conflicts with The Man, is the object of his wrath. She’s running late as usual, rushing out the door to drop off her preteen son Kyle (Gabriel Bateman) to school, but she gets stuck in traffic no matter where she goes. She’s in a terrible mood after bickering with her ex and losing her best client, so when she gets caught behind The Man, she may lay on the horn of her beat-up Volvo station wagon a little too hard when he refuses to proceed on a green light.
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But she’s unaware of what we already know about The Man from the film’s explosive prologue: He’s having an even worse morning than she is, and he’s potentially deadly.
The Man stalks and terrorizes Rachel and everyone close to her for the majority of “Unhinged,” including her closest friend/divorce lawyer (Jimmi Simpson) in one especially tense moment in a coffee shop. Despite moments like these, which Borte executes well, we’re left with the uneasy impression that we’re supposed to feel sorry for this person for snapping. He’s been dealt an unfavorable hand. I mean, who could blame him? The Man is expressing his rage in an outlandish fashion, yet “Unhinged” appears to believe that he is not fundamentally incorrect. As Crowe’s character becomes more brazen and the death count mounts, this becomes an increasingly untenable position. He physically brutalizes Rachel and her little kid, albeit it does result in a startling act of violence that could best be described as Chekhov’s haircutting scissors. Pistorius does a good job showing varying levels of dread throughout the film, but she’s mostly responding to Crowe’s impossible omnipresence.
“Unhinged” touts itself as the film that, depending on where you reside, will finally reopening theaters this weekend after the Covid-19 shutdown more than five months ago. The distributor who was behind it had planned to do so on July 1, which was certainly optimistic. Perhaps the film’s hectic chases and wrecks leading up to a spectacular conclusion are a lot more enjoyable when there are other individuals in the audience, who are hooting and screaming with muffled excitement beneath their masks. But I have my doubts.
For more personality quizzes check this: Fantasy Island Quiz.
