There once was a time when Nicholas Cage was ruling the Silver Screen. Whatever you see him in, it ruled and those films were really good too and even if the plot had some holes, it was the gravitas that the persona of Nick Cage brought that filled those holes. The Academy Award Winning Actor has given us some really great films over the years and some of them are
Leaving Las Vegas
A Story about a suicidal screenwriter who moves to Las Vegas to drink himself to death and there he meets a prostitute what happens between them is the crux of the story. This is the film that led Nick Cage to win an Academy Award for Best Actor. Based on the semi-autobiographical novel of the same name by John O’Brien, the film managed to be a success critically and at the box office.
Adaptation
This Meta-Comedy film is the one that got Nick Cage his second nomination at the Oscars for Best Actor. A film about writer’s block that portrayed humor and drama so well and also was a critic or Jury’s favorite at that time. The film was a critical success and at the box office too. It also starred Meryl Streep along with Chris Cooper.
Ghost Rider
Cage has starred in the MARVEL Superhero flick Ghost Rider with a sequel as well in which he portrayed Johnny Blaze. The film was met with negative reviews from critics but was an box office success nearly doubling the budget the film was made in. Ghost Rider came during a time when there was no superhero monopoly in the market as it is now and was loved by fans, primarily the charm Cage brought to the film.
National Treasure
The Duology starred Cage along with Harvey Keitel, and Jon Voight with Cage playing a historian and amateur cryptographer who is in search of a treasure. The film had a sequel as well called “Book Of Secrets”. Both of the films were instant successes on the box office but with the critics, it was kind of a mixed bag since it got praised in action sequences and acting, but not so much when it came to screenplay. However, it’s loved by audiences of all ages.
Knowing
This is one badass Sci-Fi Film and the whole premise of the show is about an old piece of paper that is discovered which contains some dates but those dates are of the disasters that have happened in the past and the ones that are going to happen in the near future ending in world apocalypse. Cage has done this role beautifully and this film is a must-watch if you’re a Sci-Fi fan or interested in Aliens. Knowing did well in box-office but did moderately when it comes to critics.
Gone In 60 Seconds
Gone in 60 Seconds is a Heist Film and the name sounds very apt to it. Nick Cage shares the screen with Angelina Jolie in this one and the chemistry worked beautifully. In this one, Cage is a former prisoner who comes back to the crime world to save his younger brother. The film was met with a lot of negative reviews from the critics but was loved by the audience and it grossed more than double the budget of the film.
Some Other notable films of Nicholas Cage that are worth the mention are
1). The Rock
2). Snake Eyes
3). Drive Angry
4). Face/Off
5). Lord Of War
6). The Wicker Man
In recent times, we see Nicholas Cage acting in films but there seems to be a disconnect now. Nick Cage is the same old Nick Cage but why are we not aware about his recent flicks like Willy’s Wonderland, Mandy, Prisoners of The Ghostland, Colour Out of Space, A Score To Settle.
The fact is these days, Nick Cage films do not have that old touch, the storylines are weak and the screenplay isn’t that great. Now, some like a very few are actually good like Pig, which showed such gravitas in Cage that the audience loved it, but it wasn’t quite that famous because Nick Cage’s projects aren’t doing well and if he does 1 good out of 10 bad, the audience is very much supposed to ignore because they already wasted their time in the 10.
Cage needs a comeback and honestly, the audience needs it more than him, and that brings us to the LATEST CAGE flick called “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent” which has quite a unique premise, it has Cage acting and playing Nicholas Cage is facing financial problems who is given 1M to attend a fan’s party and then Cage gets recruited for a CIA Mission and that starts the whole shebang. The films is a comedy drama and it has been done beautifully. With a very strong cast, Cage is co-starring with Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian, Game Of Thrones), Lily Mo Sheen (Click, Underworld Evolution), Alessandra Mastronardi (To Rome With Love, Master Of None Season 2) & Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother). The film underperformed at the box-office but it was praised by the critics which has not often been Cage’s movies strong point. Directed by Tom Gormican (That Awkward Moment), it was co-produced by Nick Cage himself and why not! LOL. The film has been digitally released now and its out on BluRay too. What’ll be interesting to see now is, if Nick Cage is able to restore the faith and love he’s been getting by the audience all over the world and if not, what will be the future projects Nick Cage does? This will be a good sight for all of us.