Nicolas Cage just might be the most brilliant actor we have today. It’s certainly possible he is not, but you must admit one thing: he brings a unique perspective to every movie he is in. That’s more than I can say for a lot of actors.
When critics and fans alike are asked who the ultimate guilty pleasure actor is, the answer is nearly unanimous: the late Patrick Swayze. I won’t deny that Swayze is right up there with the very best. “Road House” is one of the most head-scratching movies ever made and not a particularly good one, but it is a pleasure to watch. “Point Break,” with a lethal combo of Swayze, Keanu Reeves and Gary Busey, could win an award for best guilty pleasure ensemble cast if such awards were even considered. Anyway, my personal pick is none other than Nic Cage.
I’d love to discuss Cage’s “National Treasure” franchise, but that could easily take a full column. Keep in mind that Nicolas Cage has won an Oscar (“Leaving Las Vegas”) and been nominated for another (“Adaptation”). After seeing “Adaptation,” I realized Cage’s acting brilliance. After all, he not only plays screenwriter Charlie Kaufman, but he also plays Charlie’s fictional brother character, Donald. “Adaptation” is an excellent film but definitely not a guilty pleasure movie.
However, recently Nicolas Cage has been in a lot more guilty pleasure movies than award-winners. One of the great aspects to this is his hair changes more often than Scarlett Johansson changes dating partners. Watching his hair changes from movie to movie is like a modern update to director Alfred Hitchcock making cameos in his movies: the audience watches for it almost more than the actual movie itself.
“Season of the Witch” is an awful movie about priests and knights in the 14th century trying to stop the plague (at least that is the only discernible plot), but Cage delivers the best lines: “We must go. There is no hope here. Only the plague.” His delivery has such a majestic air of authority. A lesser actor would have made the lines laughable, but they work with Cage.
Similarly, “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” is pretty bad, but Cage offers some consolation. His long pauses in delivering lines are effective, such as when he says, “Put your…old man…shoes back on. We have work to do.” Most actors would come off awkwardly, but it seems so natural with Cage.
Let’s not forget how good he can be in short bursts either. In “Knowing,” a man runs past Cage while on fire and all Cage can do is urgently yell, “Hey!” Again, it’s an extremely awkward moment but one of the best moments in the movie. With a lesser actor, it might have wound up on the editing room cutting floor.
In Werner Herzog’s remake of “Bad Lieutenant,” Cage sounds like a little kid when he begs a pharmacist to fill his prescription by crying out “Please!” The fact that he’s working with Herzog shows he’s still a respected actor.
His best recent movie would probably be “Kick-Ass.” Basically, it’s an entertaining spoof of superhero movies that doesn’t just make fun of superheroes. It also notes the importance of superheroes: we all need someone to look up to. Nicolas Cage does the greatest Adam West impersonation to date.
Unfortunately, Cage isn’t in the movie nearly long enough, but, when he is, the fun is multiplied. That’s the way it is with every Nicolas Cage movie. People can critique him all they want, but the man seems to love every minute of his job, and that, too, is more than I can say for most actors.
