Derrick Borte
Il giorno sbagliato

I’ll jump right in and say that it’s one of the films that annoyed me the most... Okay, I know, it’s bad to start off like this, but at least you get a heads-up. The protagonist? A Russell Crowe not in great shape, not only physically, as many have said he’s outdone himself in this film, but I, being critical, found him just a pale shadow of what he was. "Unhinged," that’s what the film is called in English, aims to follow the structural line of the better-known "Falling Down," and it might have succeeded if there had been any logic in what the director wanted to achieve. Let’s start with the victim of the psycho, a somewhat airy divorced mother, in the sense that she’s overwhelmed by life’s unexpected turns, who immediately annoys you a lot because she reminds me of my neighbor, but let’s skip the details. The gist is, without giving too much away, that from a trivial road rage incident, a whole series of events are narrated too hurriedly, trying in vain to create that thriller anxiety, which isn’t there, pursuing the vain attempt to keep the viewer glued to the screen through unlikely and lazy plot twists. Back to Russell: not very energetic, clumsy and, even though he’s the bad guy, you almost root for him instead of her, the long-suffering victim, because... Yes, always the neighbor, well...

One of the scenes that could have been a masterpiece (but when a director is lazy, there’s nothing to be done) is set in a fast-food American restaurant. If you want to perplex people with a raw and realistic scene, you also have to add more chaos and extras who can pull it off. Yes, the story that nowadays if you witness something horrible, you immediately make a video with your phone, great idea! But do you want to make a film or a documentary exposing unhealthy human habits? Did you want to do that? It could have worked in fact, but the film moves quickly (not in a good way) and sometimes you say, "wait, you could’ve taken more time here before moving to the next scene!" The cinematography is nothing special and, I repeat, acting means a lot and I finished the film, out of obligation, with a very nervous sigh of relief, not because someone was saved, but because at least Russell can go take a nap, then wake up and say he's made another film. Harsh? De gustibus non "Russellando" est.