Drive Angry

If you want science fiction that respects its own premise, Drive Angry is available in Australia on Netflix, and in the US on YouTube TV and The CW right now. It says what it needs to say in one sitting, no filler. 2,058 people have weighed in on TMDB, and the verdict leans heavily positive. Watch it for Nicolas Cage — the performance elevates material that could easily tip into self-seriousness. Put it on tonight on Netflix and see for yourself.

Whatever else is competing for your attention this week, Drive Angry is worth clearing space for. Drive Angry treats its concept seriously enough to follow it all the way through. Milton is a hardened felon who has broken out of Hell, intent on finding the vicious cult who brutally murdered his daughter and kidnapped her baby. He joins forces with a sexy, tough-as-nails waitress, who's also seeking redemption of her own. Caught in a deadly race against time, Milton has three days to avoid capture, avenge his daughter's death, and save her baby before she's mercilessly sacrificed by the cult. Nicolas Cage and Amber Heard lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 2011. Drive Angry resists the temptation to explain everything, trusting the audience to sit with ambiguity. It delivers reliably on what it promises, which is more than most of its competition manages.

Sci-fi fans who want ideas alongside the spectacle will find Drive Angry genuinely rewarding. It has built its own audience without needing a direct comparison. Best experienced as a single, sustained watch from start to finish. Nicolas Cage grounds the bigger ideas in something human. Once you are in, you will want to talk about it.