Unhinged

Flicks, Aaron Yap

Unhinged is mainly about the abhorrent spectacle of Crowe’s one-dimensional cartoon madman unleashing calculated terror on Caren Pistorius, who puts up a plucky fight as a struggling mother in his crosshairs after a minor lapse in road etiquette.

Director Derrick Borte speeds through each lurid set-piece with lean, workmanlike kineticism, and the film is at its most engagingly junky when it’s Crowe being—yes, unhinged—behind the wheel of a 4×4 ute. The Jigsaw-style maniac-with-a-masterplan stuff where he’s playing Russian roulette with Pistorius’ contact list is less persuasive.

Newshub

Look, my tolerance for on-screen violence has certainly increased over many years of high exposure - John Wick I'm looking at you - but beware the sudden shocking explosions of brutality here won't be for everyone and will either add or substantially detract from the viewing experience.

Hollywood Reporter

Dressed heavy-set, Crowe is all grimaces and frowns in disgust at everything around him. His only emotional note is all ANGRY, resulting in a parody of his own performances. It’s Crowe on overdrive, and it’s horrible.

Screen Daily

The car chases should be the escapist, high-octane fun part of the movie. But fun is in short supply in a picture which is fuelled by a full tank of ill-will and fury.

Variety

The carnage is the point here, not any of the reasoning behind it, and Borte and Crowe bring it to a suitably frothing, furious head: Some movies just want to watch the world burn, preferably on a very big screen.

Empire Magazine

In spite of what may seem like a direct-to-VOD vibe, this is a slick, nasty thriller with a throwback quality, neither too self-serious nor too self-aware. While it’s not especially fresh, it’s still solid genre filmmaking.

Total Film

“I’m always going to be inside your head,” growls Crowe. Maybe not, but this fast, brutal chase-fest is trashy fun while it lasts.

Time Out

Crowe’s satisfyingly nasty turn deserves a bit more brains to go with the brawn.

The Telegraph

As a psychothriller, it gives itself one simple assignment – to set your heart rate pounding through the roof. And on this level, with a lurid voltage that might require health warnings, it nastily delivers.

IndieWire

Dressed heavy-set, Crowe is all grimaces and frowns in disgust at everything around him. His only emotional note is all ANGRY, resulting in a parody of his own performances. It’s Crowe on overdrive, and it’s horrible.

Stuff

This violence-soaked Duel-meets-Falling-Down by way of every 1990s stalker-slasher movie cliche you can think of, is nasty, brutish and not nearly short enough.