Literature and film are dotted with variations on the Faustian theme involving someone selling their soul to the Devil, but none of those poor unfortunates has dressed like Evel Knievel and sounded like Elvis Presley. Until now!!! In this campy, and entertaining adaptation of the Marvel Comics story, Nicolas Cage continues his homage to the King while performing stunts on a flaming motorbike.
Cage is always most effective when he has his tongue firmly embedded in his cheek, something he does throughout Ghost Rider. When his character, the death defying stunt cyclist Johnny Blaze, is interrupted by his assistant Mack (Donal Logue) while preparing himself for his next leap by listening to the soothing sounds of The Carpenters, he warns him, "Sssh, you're stepping on Karen."
Writer and director Mark Steven Johnson is familiar with handling comic book material, with previous credits including Elektra and Daredevil. Ghost Rider is visually striking, with a wealth of good effects, but it also has a liberal dose of humour and enough of a plot on which to hang its imagery.
Events begin with the husky voiceover of Sam Elliott as the enigmatic cemetery caretaker declaring, "The thing about legends is sometimes they're true." We then meet a young Johnny (Matt Long) who performs stunts alongside his father (Brett Cullen) in the circus. Shortly after Johnny discovers his father has terminal cancer, he's visited by an enigmatic stranger (Peter Fonda) who makes him an offer. Upon promising to cure Johnny's father's cancer, the stranger asks for a favour in return. Johnny vows to do anything, but when the stranger asks for his soul, his true identity as Mephistopheles is revealed. The next day Johnny's father makes a miraculous recovery from cancer, only to be killed during a stunt. Mephistopheles reappears to remind Johnny of their agreement, promising he will return one day to call in his part of their deal.
The story jumps forward to a now grown-up Johnny who's become legendary for his amazing stunts and for cheating death. "Luck don't cover it. You've got an angel looking after you," Mack observes. At the height of his fame, Johnny's dark past catches up with him when Mephistopheles returns. Given the challenge to, "Find the one known as Blackheart and destroy him," Johnny morphs into the Ghost Rider, a leather clad figure with a flaming skull who rides a fantastical bike that leaves a trail of flames in its wake.
In addition to his task as "the Devil's bountyhunter," Johnny reconnects with his childhood sweetheart, the now successful news presenter Roxie (Eva Mendes). With the promise of having his soul returned once his task is completed, Johnny sees Roxie as the best incentive for salvation.
Cage's jokey embodiment of the possessed Johnny Blaze has created a welcome addition to the pantheon of celluloid superheroes. His Elvis-inspired performance brings to mind Johnny Depp's Keef impression as Captain Jack Sparrow. And, based on its ending, the other thing Ghost Rider shares with Pirates Of The Caribbean, is the certainty of a sequel.
Kevin Murphy
