--- title: "Unhinged: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/unhinged/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/unhinged" critics_score: 44 critics_reviews: 22 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Unhinged (2020): what the critics said Critics' score 44 from 22 reviews: 5 positive, 6 mixed, 11 negative. The reviews lean negative on Unhinged, though Russell Crowe’s threatening presence earns praise across much of the divide. Even several critics who dislike the film credit his commitment to its volatile antagonist. Supporters find a brisk, darkly funny pulp thriller, with effective driving sequences and bursts of violence that compensate for familiar plotting. Some detractors also acknowledge the action’s technical skill, but find little substance beyond the pursuit. The spread is wide, with disagreement over both the entertainment value and the treatment of male resentment. The Guardian reads the film as an entertaining send-up of emasculated men. IndieWire instead finds it unpleasantly misogynistic and judges Crowe’s performance one-note and overdriven. Elsewhere, reservations centre on implausible plotting, thin writing and violence that becomes monotonous rather than suspenseful; even favourable reviews tend to concede that freshness and thoughtful social commentary are in short supply. ## Evening Standard — Charlotte O'Sullivan Rating 4/5. 31 July 2020. O’Sullivan finds the thriller an exuberantly enjoyable, pulpy treat despite its plot holes. She especially praises Russell Crowe’s performance, calling his misogynistic villain both chilling and darkly funny. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/unhinged-review-youll-love-to-loathe-russell-crowes-woman-hating-villain-a4513371.html) ## Empire — Christina Newland Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 26 August 2020. Newland finds the film a compelling, solid genre thriller despite its lack of freshness. She singles out Russell Crowe’s hulking menace and the film’s slick pacing and bursts of shocking violence. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/unhinged/) ## The Guardian — Simran Hans Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 1 August 2020. Hans finds the thriller entertaining and darkly funny, praising its send-up of emasculated men. She also highlights Russell Crowe’s performance as the volatile antagonist. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/aug/01/unhinged-review-darkly-funny-tale-of-road-rage) ## Time Out — Phil de Semlyen Rating 3/5. 26 July 2020. The review finds the road-rage thriller predictable but entertaining. It praises Russell Crowe’s enjoyably deranged performance for giving the film a lift. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/unhinged) ## Total Film — Matthew Leyland Rating 3/5. 30 July 2020. Leyland calls the film trashy fun despite a predictable plot and increasingly implausible turns. He praises Russell Crowe’s snarling, gleeful performance, while noting that the finale teeters between crowd-pleasing and camp silliness. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/unhinged-review-russell-crowe/) ## Variety — Guy Lodge Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 30 July 2020. Lodge finds the film delivers nasty B-movie thrills but offers little dramatic substance. He singles out Russell Crowe’s oversized performance and the opening scene as especially gripping. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2020/film/reviews/unhinged-review-russell-crowe-1234721119/) ## The AV Club — A.A. Dowd Rating C-. 18 August 2020. Dowd pans the film as nasty, implausible pulp that fails to build suspense. He singles out Russell Crowe’s committed menace, but finds the performance one-note and unrewarding. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/russell-crowe-is-unhinged-in-a-trashy-road-rage-thrille-1844759549) ## Radio Times — Alan Jones Rating 2/5. Jones dismisses the film as a far-fetched, mechanically recycled road-rage thriller. He singles out its increasingly implausible pursuit and turn into vicious slasher-style violence as faults. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-y7vz66/unhinged/) ## IndieWire — Kaleem Aftab Rating D. 30 July 2020. Aftab finds the thriller pointless, lazy, and unpleasantly misogynistic. He singles out Russell Crowe’s one-note, overdriven performance as a particular failure. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/unhinged-review-russell-crowe-1234577175/) ## Screen Daily — Wendy Ide Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 31 July 2020. The critic finds the film needlessly unpleasant and abrasively stressful, yet oddly monotonous. Its monotonous quality is singled out as a key complaint. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/unhinged-review/5151996.article) ## Vulture — Alison Willmore Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 21 August 2020. Willmore finds the film a lackluster thriller that ultimately reduces its villain to a generic road-rage cautionary tale. She praises Russell Crowe’s performance for briefly making the character’s resentment and violence feel sharply connected to a larger cultural ugliness. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/movie-review-russell-crowe-in-the-thriller-unhinged.html) ## Slant Magazine — Chuck Bowen Rating 1/4. 18 August 2020. Bowen finds the film nihilistic, monotonous, and colossally redundant. He singles out a tense traffic-side encounter as a chilling moment, but says the film soon devolves into violence without examination. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review-unhinged-nihilistically-revels-in-violence-without-examination/) ## The New York Times — Jeannette Catsoulis Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 20 August 2020. Catsoulis gives the thriller a negative verdict, finding it unpleasant and often laughable. The review’s complaint is that its road-rage premise produces more excess than suspense. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/20/movies/unhinged-review.html) ## Los Angeles Times — Justin Chang Fi1m's normalised score 12/100 (inferred from the text). 20 August 2020. Chang dismisses the film as unnecessary, crudely sadistic schlock and says it is not worth going to a theater to see. He singles out the nimble action editing and cinematography as effective amid the clichés. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2020-08-20/unhinged-review-russell-crowe) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Stephen Dalton Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 30 July 2020. Dalton finds the thriller stubbornly lowbrow, dreary, and largely devoid of tension. He credits Russell Crowe’s committed performance and the car stunts, but says the film’s weak writing and affectless violence overwhelm them. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/unhinged-1305211/) ## Consequence — Blake Goble Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 20 August 2020. Goble finds Unhinged an agreeably brisk, crass popcorn thriller, though its muddled treatment of violence and masculinity gives him pause. He especially praises Russell Crowe’s twitchy, convincing performance as the terrifying driver. [Read the review](https://consequence.net/2020/08/film-review-unhinged/) ## NME Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). The critic finds the film unsophisticated and somewhat unoriginal, but considers it tense, fast entertainment with merit. They praise Russell Crowe’s convincing villain and single out the diner scene as a highlight. [Read the review](https://www.nme.com/reviews/film-reviews/unhinged-review-russell-crowe-2716071) ## Paste — Dom Sinacola Rating 6.5/10. 21 August 2020. Sinacola finds the thriller’s violence and tension effective, though its social commentary lacks nuance. He singles out Russell Crowe’s imposing physical presence as the film’s real weapon. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/russell-crowe/unhinged-derrick-borte-review) ## Film Stories — Dan Cooper Fi1m's normalised score 45/100 (inferred from the text). 7 August 2020. The critic finds the thriller formulaic and disappointing overall, though gripping action makes it worth watching. The driving sequences are singled out for their taut, thrilling construction. [Read the review](https://filmstories.co.uk/reviews/unhinged-review-russell-crowe-drives-back-onto-the-big-screen/) ## Den of Geek — Don Kaye Rating 2 out of 5. 18 August 2020. Kaye finds the film hollow and ultimately pointless, despite Russell Crowe’s forceful performance. He praises Crowe’s screen presence but faults the weak script and the film’s nasty, implausible slasher violence. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/unhinged-review-russell-crowe/) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 19 August 2020. The critic finds the film brutal and largely unsuccessful, with little fun or meaningful insight. They single out Russell Crowe’s committed performance and the film’s energy, but say its over-the-top violence and implausible villain undermine it. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/unhinged-film-review-russell-crowe-is-a-very-bad-man-and-the-movies-not-so-good-either/) ## HeyUGuys Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). The critic finds the film painfully inept and its violence unjustified. They single out a brief car chase as momentarily engaging, but say weak writing and performances undermine the thrills. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/unhinged-review/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/unhinged.md