Russell Crowe reflects on rage in Western society

There's something highly unusual about Russell Crowe's latest film: it's actually being released in cinemas.

Unhinged is the first major new movie to be screened in theatres for several months, after the coronavirus pandemic forced most to close their doors.

As a result, there is now a backlog of films which were due to come out this spring, such as Mulan and Tenet, waiting to be released.

But Crowe's road rage thriller is the first big new film out of the gate, or "the canary in the coal mine," as the film studio's president put it recently. Crowe is confident, however, that film fans are keen to return to theatres.

"The idea of going to the cinema is something a lot of people are really yearning for," the actor tells BBC News. "In the movies, all the crazy [stuff] happens on the screen, not actually in your life, and that's a more comfortable position for people to be back to.

"I know personally, I'd love to go to a movie right now, to sit and have that experience and feel that sort of rush when something cool happens on screen."

Cinemas have been allowed to open in England since 4 July but many have waited until this week, to give them time to train staff and put adequate cleaning measures in place. Crowe says their re-opening is a major step forward in the return to normality.