Drive Angry in 3D.

I want you to consider something with me. I want you to mull it over. Savour it, like a fine wine.

Nicholas Cage has broken out of Hell. He has broken out of Hell because a cult of redneck satanists have killed his daughter and kidnapped his granddaughter, intent on sacrificing her to Satan. Nothing will stand in his way, except for perhaps Satan's right hand man, known as The Accountant, an indestructable guy in a suit who will stop at nothing to bring Cage screaming back to hell.

Now think about it. When was the last time you heard a plot synopsis that balls-out insane? I mean, Machete and The Warrior's Way were pretty crazy, but this kind of leaves them standing, in the Loco stakes.

Of course, if you are a fan of over-the-top, so-bad-it's-awesome action movies, like I am, you will also approach this film with a sense of trepidation. Because it's a formula every bit as hard to get right as your more serious genres. I was reminded of Wanted yesterday, and I recalled how, despite being on the face of it a similarly outrageous action movie, it all seemed a bit forced, like nobody was having any fun. Not so here. Everyone involved here really seems to appreciate what it is they're doing, and are completely committed to that goal, relishing every minute.

And what it is, is a proper grindhouse-style exploitation 3D movie. Not a homage to one, or a spoof of one, this is the real deal in my view. Pick a scene at random, and it's almost certain to be a gunfight, a car chase, a fist fight, a sex scene, or, more likely, any two of the above, or in some cases, three. And for the most part, absolutely well judged in tone in order to make it cackle-inducingly over the top, without tipping over the edge into parody.

The 3D was a breath of fresh air too. Since Hollywood started this latest love affair with 3D, they've tried to be mature about it "It's all about the realism, putting you into the scene, enhancing your experience", whereas classic 3D movies of the 70s and 80s were well aware that's bullshit, and what 3D is for is "OHMYGODITSCOMINGRIGHTATYOU" stuff. And Drive Angry knows this. Bullets, car parts, axes, and god knows what else come whizzing out of the screen at you at a rate of knots. And frankly, that's what 3D is for, and it's the only plausible use for it.

The downsides of the movie are mostly technical in one way or another. The 3D is cheap postproduction. Not, I felt, as with so many films these days, because it was tacked on as an afterthought where it wasn't wanted or needed, but simply because they hadn't the money to spring for real 3D cameras. Similarly, the CGI is pretty cheesy when it happens. The pace and direction is a bit patchy in places; they've got themselves some pretty awesome setpiece scenes, but they don't always seem to know how to get between them.

All this is pretty much nitpicking. This is a low-budget, low-rent exploitation flick, which manages to scale the heights of awesomeness often enough to more than justify the price of admission. In short, if this is the sort of thing that you think might entertain you, it will.