Southern Fury review: Nicolas Cage amps up the madness in this actioner, which also stars Adrien Grenier and John Cusack.
Southern Fury review, Awais Irfan, February 2017.
Nicolas Cage has become quite the name for many insane cult films in recent years; with the likes or The Trust, Army of One, Dog Eat Dog all freshly under his belt. His latest, Southern Fury, is no different – this is another wild adventure.
Our focus in this film is on the Lindel brothers, Mikey (Jonathon Schaech) and JP (Adrian Grenier). We open to see them as kids – with a strong brotherly bond, having to rely on each other – then skip ahead to their adult lives – JP has found some success in his life, with a good job and family, whilst Mikey spends his time as a small-time mobster, morally troubled and involved in small crimes. When a crime boss, from their past, Eddie King (Nicolas Cage), reappears in the brothers’ lives, kidnapping Mikey and holding him for ransom, JP – alongside detective Sal (John Cusack) – finds himself risking everything to save his brother.
Southern Fury is positively, unashamedly ludicrous and insane. In the best way possible. This film is just sheer nuts, and it’s surprisingly fun as a result. Right from the off, this is violent and gory and dark. This violence is never in abundance, used sparingly throughout, but when it’s present, it’s rather enjoyable actually. It’s unflinching and blood soaked, if a little frenetic and sometimes poorly shot. It’s worth knowing that Southern Fury is by no means a good film, though. Nor does fun, over-the-top action make it a good film. However, there is plenty of enjoyment to be had with it.
The most positive aspects of this film are head-over-heels in its absurdity. Of course, the standout is Nicolas Cage. In any Nicolas Cage starring film of this sort, he’s always the redeeming factor. The same applies here. Cage is so superbly over-the-top as our ruthless crime kingpin Eddie, obviously relishing in the unhinged, wild nature of the character. The costume and makeup are equally as wild and there are many slow-motion shots featuring Cage beating people up with his hair swinging in his face and it’s definitely a sight to see. The supporting cast are all very good too, from a grim, brooding Schaech contrasting a more optimistic Grenier (the pair have a really believable brotherly relationship on the screen too) to an over-the-top Cusack too. For how ludicrous this film is, the equally wild performances feel appropriate.
Aside from some fun to be had with how preposterous this whole film is, it’s shortcomings are in everything else. The character development is so lacklustre and we can’t attach or invest in anyone on-screen – the writing just feels so underwhelming and does a poor job of really fleshing the characters out. The direction is fine but it’s rather frenetic and unnecessarily so, with a lot going on just for the sake of it and poor editing blending it together. Southern Fury is definitely a B-rate film but we’ve seen slick, competent B-rate films before and it’s not an excuse for rushed, messy and fairly sloppy filmmaking and storytelling. The script is so thin with the little plot there is feelings so convoluted and bogged down by a lack of focus or oversight really.
Again, there is certainly enjoyment to be had with the ludicrous, perhaps mind-numbing nature of Southern Fury and it’s a fairly competent picture if you just want to watch a ridiculous film with a brilliantly ridiculous Cage. However, it’s hard to really sell this as a good film. A guilty pleasure, switch off your brain kind of flick? Sure. Good? No. It just feels too rushed and convoluted.
Southern Fury review by Awais Irfan, February 2017.
Southern Fury is released in UK cinemas on Friday 24th February, 2017.
