Rage, 2010.
Directed by Christopher R. Witherspoon.
Starring Rick Crawford, Audrey Walker and Christopher R. Witherspoon.
SYNOPSIS:
A college professor provokes the wrath of a mysterious biker, leading to a day-long battle of cat-and-mouse which escalates into a violent rampage.
It’s rare that a low-budget independent feature grips you from start to finish, but American filmmaker Christopher R. Witherspoon has managed to pull it off with Rage – a fantastic little thriller that mixes good old fashioned suspense with some brutal, graphic action. Heavily inspired by Steven Spielberg’s 1971 feature debut, the classic TV movie Duel – with some John Carpenter and Alfred Hitchcock thrown in for good measure – Rage grabs your attention from its opening credits to deliver a tense, unnerving ride that rarely lets go.
After kissing goodbye to his wife Crystal (Audrey Walker), college professor and failed novelist Dennis Twist (Rick Crawford) heads into the city to clean up some personal business, namely bringing an end to an extramarital affair. Soon afterwards, he finds himself taunted by a mysterious leather-clad biker, who quickly steps up his vendetta in a relentless pursuit around the city that leads to a harrowing, violent climax within the confines of Dennis’ home.
Apart from some minor budgetary issues, it’s really quite hard to find fault with Rage. The film is packed to the brim with tension, which is heightened ten-fold by a solid musical score and a strong, believable performance by Rick Crawford as the victim of the Biker’s rage. However the true star of the show is Chris Witherspoon, who really has shown himself to be a Jack of all trades with this, his second feature.
In addition to his directing duties, Witherspoon was responsible for the writing, producing, editing, cinematography, sound and visual effects on Rage, not to mention the on-screen role of the anonymous ‘Biker’. The fact that he’s done such a great job in each department is testament to his filmmaking skills and in doing so he’s created an accomplished, well-paced thriller that has all the right ingredients to become a true cult classic.
For his next project, Witherspoon intends to develop an anthology feature entitled The Twilight Hotel, which he describes as: “What would’ve happened if Alfred Hitchcock had directed episodes of The Twilight Zone?” I’m sold already and if Rage is anything to go by, then The Twilight Hotel really could be one to watch out for.
Originally published December 19, 2011. Updated April 12, 2018.
