Sympathy for the Devil" leaves much to be desired, and that's putting it mildly. Directed by Yuval Adler and written by Luke Paradise, this film, which also boasts actor Nicolas Cage as one of its co-producers, is a stark reminder of Cage's current method of project selection, which seems akin to a hit-or-miss throw of dice.
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The narrative revolves around a struggling everyday individual. He is portrayed by Joel Kinnaman, who crosses paths with an unhinged villain played by Nicolas Cage. The result is a grim, anxiety-ridden journey. It deviates drastically from the usual pleasant road trip as Kinnaman is led away from Las Vegas, at gunpoint.
From the onset, we learn that Kinnaman's character, who remains nameless until later in the story (his loved ones refer to him as David), is on the cusp of fatherhood. After dropping off his young son, he's heading to the hospital to be with his wife. There, he encounters a man in a parking garage. This individual sports vividly red hair, a devilish goatee, and a revolver. The man in question is none other than Nicolas Cage's character, referred to as "The Passenger". While this kind of narrative trick can add a layer of intrigue to a well-executed film, it comes off as pompous when the movie falls short, as is the case here.
A glaring issue with the movie is that it fails to create characters that audiences can empathize with. Kinnaman's imminent second-time fatherhood doesn't make his character any more appealing, considering that fatherhood doesn't necessarily equate to morality or likability. Cage's character, on the other hand, seems nothing more than a vehicle for Cage to display his eccentric acting chops. His performance has intense eye-popping, manic grinning, shouting, and dancing scenes. This makes the film more of an endurance test than an engaging cinematic experience.
The film does attempt to weave a plot, with Cage's character claiming to recognize David from their shared past. With the narrative hinting at illegal activities, insanity, murder, and an array of dubious characters, one might imagine their history unfolding during the 1995 Sundance Film Festival, a haven for Quentin Tarantino-inspired filmmakers.
In between bouts of exhausting storytelling, Cage's character often describes the gruesome outcomes of his revolver's potential discharge to Kinnaman. The film seems to argue that such graphic descriptions can instill more fear than the mere sight of a gun. This is perhaps an attempt to add depth to Cage's dialogues in what otherwise feels like a futile endeavor. Cage also delivers lines like "The truth is rarely plain and never simple.” This comes off as pretentious, especially when he berates Kinnaman's character for his "cliched" backstory.
Despite primarily being a two-character piece, the movie also includes a law enforcement officer and several diner staff and customers. Cage's character ominously utters, "We still have miles to go before we sleep," early on, an accurate reflection of the film's dragging pace that seems to go on forever.
