Diagnosed with a fatal condition, Frankie Carver (Nicolas Cage) is released from prison after serving 19 years of hard time. With only a short time left to live, Frankie must desperately try to make amends with the son he left behind while he plots a bloody course of revenge – tracking down his old gang to make them pay one by one.
Nicolas Cage gets a lot of shit, sometimes for good reason. His outrageous public antics and extravagant purchases like rare Dinosaur skulls have catapulted him into a meme-inspired caricature. I actually think Cage is one of the greatest living American actors. Yes, he’s over the top and doesn’t just chew scenery he takes the leftovers and reheats them in front of you. When he’s getting a good script or inspiring direction he’s an incredible actor. Cage’s work with the Coen Brothers, David Lynch, Spike Jonze, and most recently, his turn in “Mandy” are documented proof that in the right role he’s unequivocally gifted. Unfortunately, due to financial woes or just the passion to work, he’s made quite dozens of straight to DVD uninspired snoozefests.
This time around he’s playing Frank, a grizzled enforcer who just spent 22 Years in the slammer. Upon his release, he’s reunited with his son Joey (Noah Le Gros) who isn’t very happy to see his father. The two take a cab to a dilapidated cabin where Frank retrieves a bloody bat and some sentimental possessions for his estranged son. Their brief road trip is really pretty since filming took place in Vancouver, BC.
In what I imagine is against his terms of release, Frank begins looking for his old criminal pals. While looking for Q (Benjamin Bratt) he meets a tough young woman leading a gang. She brilliantly educates him that women have more of a role than they did 20 years ago. It’s safe to say that in film alone female representation has drastically improved in that time period, but maybe I’m giving the filmmakers too much credit. It turns out Frank took the fall for his boss’ murder where he bludgeoned a man to death and paid him to keep his mouth shut. Historically speaking, revenge is such a safe trope to excuse a protagonist’s violence inflicted on their sworn enemies. “Mandy” is a perfect example of a great revenge tale that earns its thrills and kills through great storytelling and superb filmmaking.
“A Score to Settle” is ultimately a letdown. Cage doesn’t go for broke and disappointingly appears to be on auto-pilot. I did read that he actually learned to play piano for his role which is cool but the piano playing scene is really awkward and doesn’t suit the mood. The story is far from compelling and the scenes feel strung together instead of flowing with ease. Nonetheless, I will continue to support Nicolas Cage’s acting career but this is one to miss.
Available on Blu-ray & DVD September 24th
