What drives Cage angry?

MANILA, Philippines - Losing a family member can make one wallow in grief. If someone else is liable for the loss, rage kicks in. And in the case of John Milton, played by Academy Award winner Nicolas Cage, not even hell can stop him from taking revenge and having one last shot at redemption. Drive Angry, which was shot in 3D, is an action-fantasy film from the blockbuster tandem of Patrick Lussier and Todd Farmer, creators of the smashing horror flick My Bloody Valentine, which earned more than $100M worldwide in 2009.

The story follows Milton, an escaped criminal determined to hunt down the satanic cult that kidnapped his infant granddaughter after they brutally killed his daughter. The baby is to be sacrificed on the next full moon, and Milton has three days to save her. With no time to spare, Milton enlists the help of Piper, played by Amber Heard, a hot chick with a hot car, to chase the devil worshippers. As Milton and Piper hastily go forward, they must keep looking over their shoulders to make sure they are as far away as possible from the ruthless assassins, outraged cops and most especially the deadly figure called The Accountant, who all want them captured.

Producer Michael De Luca says, “When I read this script, I knew we had to make it. I was pretty sure that Nicolas Cage was going to love the script, too, since I know how much he loves cars.” Nicolas, whose interest in the paranormal is affirmed by his previous movies like Ghost Rider, Knowing and The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, was blown away by the script. “It was unlike anything I’d ever read before, in a great way,” he says. “Drive Angry is full of adrenaline and intensity and comedy. This is definitely a movie for the midnight audience and I enjoy making movies for the midnight crowd.”

As waitress/accomplice Piper, Amber, has impressed Nicolas and the crew. “Amber manages to be sympathetic and really, really tough at the same time, which is exactly what that character needs,” says Nicolas. “Piper hasn’t really been treated well in life and Amber’s able to convey that.” Though it is natural for viewers to expect that the relationship between the two will turn romantic, Lussier stresses that the movie is “about a man who’s trying to make up for failing his daughter” and so Piper is meant to be a surrogate daughter to Milton. Heard describes her role as “the heart” of the movie. “She’s the person who really changes, and she changes Milton.” In real life, this self-proclaimed “Texas gal” also drives a muscle car and “can shoot any gun on the planet”, exclaims Lussier. Not once did they doubt that they got the perfect girl for the role.

The presence of The Accountant, played by William Fichtner, plays a major part in making the story extraordinary. The Accountant’s job is to bring Milton back to hell and he has no regard for Milton’s reason for breaking out. “There were so many pieces that went into putting the character together. For example, The Accountant knows how to move in a way that’s not human. He can step out of a moving car and just keep walking gracefully. All I could do was find one piece at a time and do it really simply, until it added up to the character you see in the movie.”

Drive Angry is a road trip through hell made more thrilling since it is presented in 3D. And with Cage as the hunter and the hunted, the action and suspense will be in full speed. The raging adventure from Viva International Pictures opens in cinemas tomorrow, Feb. 25.