Actor Nicolas Cage, real name Nicolas Coppola, was born in Long Beach, CA on January 7th, 1964. Cage is part of the Coppola movie dynasty; his uncle is Francis Ford Coppola, aunt Talia Shire, and cousin to Sophia Coppola to name a few. He adopted the name Cage from the Marvel Comics character Luke Cage, to set himself apart from his famous relatives, and boy, does he ever! His performances can be described as quirky and spontaneous, regardless of the material.
When watching a Nicolas Cage movie, you’re never too sure what kind of Cage you will see. Will it be “Nic Rage” (over-the-top shouting and reactions), a serious performance (Oscar nominated stuff), or a “I need cash!” performance (Left Behind remake territory)? It’s this kind of unpredictability that makes me both excited, and a huge fan, of this actor.
Like Samuel L. Jackson or Christopher Walken, Cage does not seem to be able to say no to any role offered to him. I understand bankruptcy issues, but say no occasionally (The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, what was that?). His entire filmography would be a chore to get through, so instead, this guide will be divided by the different type of Cage performances that fill our screens.
Quirky Roles: Raising Arizona (1987)
Cage plays an ex-con named H.I. McDunnough, married to ex-cop Ed (Holly Hunter) who hatch a plan to take one of the quintuplets from a furniture tycoon. Their happiness to have a child comes to a halt when things get more complicated and crazier. Crazier is the keyword here.
This Coen Brothers comedy paints the state of Arizona, and the characters that inhabit it, as cartoonish larger-than-life characters. What makes Cage stand out in this outlandish world is that he plays it straight and deadpan. The sane individual in an insane world. His calm demeanor, and deadpan delivery of weird dialogue, is what makes this movie a goofy, laugh out loud, good time.
While Cage displays comedic chops, he surprised viewers in the next decade with his range. He made us laugh in the 1980’s with this film and others, and he would make us cry in the ’90s, paired along with getting us pumped.
Serious Actor: Leaving Las Vegas (1995)
In Leaving Las Vegas, Cage plays a failed screenwriter who moves to Vegas to drink himself to death. While there, he runs into a fellow lost soul (Elizabeth Shue), and they have an instant connection. Can the quirky guy do drama? You bet he can.
Regardless of the genre, Cage puts all of his energy into the part and commits all the way through. He improvises in each role to keep the emotions spontaneous and the actions raw. This performance as a sad, broken, ticking time bomb earned him a much deserved Oscar, which goes to show that the quirky guy can move viewers in a heavy dramatic role.
Cage surprised viewers yet again with showing his range in comedy and drama, but can he carry an action movie? The answer is another yes, yes, and yes. In his own way, however.
Action Star: The Rock (1996) and Face/Off (1997)
Cage lacks the muscles of Schwarzenegger, the kicking of Van Damme, and the coolness of Keanu. What Cage does possess is a wild, energetic performance to match the scale of the action. His reactions should be registered as WMDs.
The Rock has him play a CIA chemical weapons expert paired with the only inmate to escape from Alcatraz (Sean Connery). Their odd couple pairing leads Cage to overreact to any uncomfortable, or terrifying, situation they find themselves in. Director Michael Bay’s pyrotechnics seem to synchronize with Cage’s explosive responses.
The actor continues with his WMD performances in Face/Off, playing both hero/villain opposite of John Travolta’s hero/villain. Cage brings some of his Raising Arizona quirk spouting lines like, “peach, I can eat a peach for hours” set against John Woo gun-play and doves. Along with his bug-eyed facial expressions and reactions to copious situations to keep viewers engaged.
These mainstream films gave audiences a taste of just how over-the-top of a performer he can be. Leading to countless comedy imitations of him. More importantly, it leads to another category of the Nicolas Cage collection dubbed “Nic Rage”.
Nic Rage: Bad Lieutenant: Port Of Call New Orleans (2009), Mom And Dad (2017) and Mandy (2018)
Cage seems to project angry quite well. I don’t know where I first heard the term “Nic Rage”, but it fits well in this category. Though the characters in these movies differ from one another, they each channel that particular bug-eyed reaction that viewers have come to love from this actor.
In Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, Cage plays a corrupt New Orleans detective. It may sound like a basic role on paper, but Cage’s performance is something for the ages. His character does every drug on the planet (how is he not dead yet?) and breaks all the rules in the book to solve crimes. He does the opposite of Raising Arizona; he becomes a larger-than-life character in a straight world. This jaw-dropping character needs to be seen to be believed.
Mom and Dad casts Cage and Selma Blair as parents, who along with other parents, get an urge to kill their own children. A VERY dark horror comedy that gives us a Cage that shout sings the hokey-pokey (he gives us a preview earlier in his career of shout singing the ABC song in Vampire’s Kiss) while destroying things with a sledgehammer. He continues to destroy things like Gallagher on fast-forward.
Mandy, the best film of 2018, casts Cage as Red Miller, an Oregon lumberjack whose partner is kidnapped and killed by a backwoods cult. As the film shows us Cage coping with what happened while watching the Cheddar Goblin TV ad and drinking whiskey in the bathroom in his underwear, his pain begins to escalate and plans for revenge. He makes a battle ax, gets a crossbow (from Bill Duke!), and fights bikers while snorting cocaine off a piece of broken glass. All leading up to him covered in blood while having a chainsaw fight with a man twice his size. Over-the-top and glorious Nicolas Cage saving the day.
Nicolas Cage: Final Thoughts
At the time of this writing, Nicolas Cage has not one, but more than ten projects lined up. As the introduction states, he cannot say no to a movie offer, but bills need to be paid. Still, we have many Cage performances to look forward to.
When watching a Nicolas Cage movie, you never know what Cage you’ll end up with. He is a walking box of chocolates, full of variety. Lon Chaney is known as “the man of a 1000 faces”, Cage is the man of a thousand emotions, mostly different flavors of angry. I don’t know about you, but I eagerly await each Cage film, whether good or bad.
What is your favorite Nicolas Cage movie? Is there a title you wish I included? Please comment below.
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