There is not a more divisive American actor working in mainstream movies today than Nicolas Cage. Here at Viddy Well, we’re unabashed Nicolas Cage fanatics, and since we’re still riding on high from the fumes of his performance in MANDY, we thought we’d share our 10 favorite Cage performances. The rest of us will have to wait for the book before we fully understand what that means, but those who are even halfway familiar with Cage’s body of work should have more than a good idea of what the title entails. Cage is motionless, only able to use his face and voice, for a large portion of the film. Playing an unhinged cop is not a stretch for Cage but this painkiller addicted (plus everything else that’s on hand) detective has some seriously misfiring synapses in his skull. The dual-performances are seamlessly stitched together to make them even more believable, which required Cage to film the whole film as one character and interact with himself by listening back to the recording via headset. I’d vouch for most of the list except for both Leaving Las Vegas and Kick-Ass being very disappointing. The Weather Man, an underappreciated dark comedy/drama, allows Cage to explore numerous layers, levels, and tones within one complex and deeply flawed character. All rights reserved. Posted on November 26, 2016 November 26, 2016 by Matt Hendricks. Ultimately, the awkward innocence, likability, and eventual tragedy of Cage’s character somehow comes across so much more than a young actor showing off in his uncle’s movie. The story is a dramatization of Charlie Kaufman’s way of life where he has to write a game-changing screenplay and turn his luck around. ( Log Out / Lovecraft-inspired narratives over the decades, however, there have only been a handful of true adaptations of his stories. Top 10 Underrated Nicolas Cage Movie Performances. Mandy manages to be revolutionary and classical at the same time and Nicholas Cage embodies the vessel for the plot. The quirky, over-acting rubber faced Cage fits in to the world of the Coen Brothers better than most other films where he pulls this routine as the entire universe seems to be populated by others just like him. We love the hair, the weird accent, and the cheesy catch phrases. There is not a more divisive American actor working in mainstream movies today than Nicolas Cage. He received glowing reviews for almost every role that he tackled, bringing life to both dramatic and comedy roles with a barely contained mania that made him look as though he was bursting out of his skin. Lord of War is a crime drama film starring Nicholas Cage, Jared Leto and Ethan Hawke where Yuri Orlov, played by Nicholas Cage enters the underground of arms trade and sells guns to all sides throughout global terrorist conflicts an civil wars. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. Sometimes he’s added to an art project just to add that extra layer of crazy. Cage plays an abusive alcoholic that masterfully shifts between drama and comedy and is nothing short of outstanding for a unique young actor just 5 years into his career. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. At the beginning of the movie David Spitz, local weather man, is separated from his wife, losing touch with his children, has been diagnosed with cancer, is a disappointment to his father and gets fast food thrown at him in the street. When he’s cast in the right role, Cage’s acting style works like nothing else. In Snowden, Cage’s screen time is limited (appearing in only a few short scenes), but highly memorable. 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An unhinged cop is right within Cage’s wheelhouse, and the added element of drug addiction allows him to take his performances into majorly looney and overblown directions. What sells the performance is the relationships with his partner in crime and his young daughter who’s made her first appearance in his life. It’s a very raw performance where Cage strips away the surface of a damaged character to reveal what is happening beneath as he pushes himself down a path of destruction. Cage’s southern badass Cameron Poe may be one of his most quoted creations — everyone’s got their impersonation of the whole “Put... the bunny... back... in the box” bit. Cage’s supporting portrayal of Big Daddy (a crime-fighting, Batman-like superhero whose sidekick is his foul-mouthed ten year-old daughter), however, should have garnered him an entire new generation of fans. He wasn’t quite as finessed as he was when he hit mainstream success in the nineties, but he was almost always impossible to ignore. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! The film has earned a high mark of 83% on Metacritic and a 93% approval rate on Rotten Tomatoes. His soul is still dancing…”. The role gave Cage a lot of room to develop himself at the time, and the resulting supporting performance is one that gives the otherwise entertainingly placid film a very welcome dosage of energy.