Nicolas Cage is one among the talented actors in Hollywood. He can also be considered as a versatile actor who appears in different spectrums of roles. His recent movie “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent” with Pedro Pascal he once again proved his true worth as an actor delivering a massive performance in the movie and the movie is running successfully in theaters with amazing reviews both from audience and critics. Despite becoming part of some really bad movies, Nicolas Cage’s filmography has some real gems which led to the name “Cage Rage”. These are some Cage Rages that you should witness before you die.
City Of Angels (1998) – Amazon Prime, Vudu
Nicolas Cage as a romantic hero is not a familiar face for the younger audiences because of his involvement in action movies for past decades especially roles in Kick-Ass and Ghost Rider. In this movie Nicolas Cage is literally playing as an angel who lights other people’s life into the afterlife. But things start to turn upside down when he meets Maggie (Meg Ryan) who he falls in love with. When Maggie says “Those eyes. The way he looked right down into me” it is true Nicolas Cage as an angel was a joy to eyes. The movie directed by Brad Silberling eventually became a blockbuster.
Wild at Heart (1990) – Disney Plus, Amazon Prime
This David Lynch film is the only one movie where he got Nicolas Cage in his filmography which is a shame. Wild at Heart was based on a novel by the same name by Barry Gifford where Nicolas Cage and Laura Dern acted in the lead roles. The story goes by when Lola (Barry Gifford) and Sailor Ripley (Nicolas Cage) smash the head of some random thug to self-defence and the love birds are on the run to California. This movie can be considered as a road movie with Nicolas Cage in some sexy jackets. And the presence of the talented William Dafoe will also add to the reason why you should watch this movie.
Mandy (2018) – Amazon Prime, Apple TV
This will be on the top tier of the most mature and gruesome performances done by Nicolas Cage. In the movie, Cage portrays Red, a peaceful man leading a happy life with his wife which is disrupted when she is kidnapped by some psychedelic cult. And Red is on a quest for revenge and the movie eventually becomes bloody with some brutal action sequences. The neon-coloured insanity which profounds in the movie amazed audiences and the performance by Cage was praised immensely by the critics. This blood-soaked journey of Nicholas Cage Directed by Panos Cosmatos as Red is a must watch.
Joe (2013) – Amazon Prime, Hulu
Another sound performance of Cage in recent years where he plays as a drunkard ex-con. He took the method acting to a whole another level by consuming alcohol for his role. Joe’s life then suddenly takes a sharp turn when he encounters a kid who is abused by his drinking father. Joe then decides to help the kid when he sees his life in that kid. The movie was directed by David Gordon Green praised by critics but not by the audience. Even though this movie has a special place in Nicolas Cage’s filmography.
Leaving Las Vegas (1995) – Netflix, Disney+ Hotstar
Nicholas Cage’s only academic award-winning role happened for his role in “Leaving Las Vegas”. In the movie he plays as a suicidal alcoholic screen writer named Ben Sanderson who loses everything and finally decides to kill himself by drinking to death. But then he meets with Sera (Elisabeth Shue) who is a prostitute which changes his life and he moves with her. The movie portrays the existential crisis of an established man and Nicholas Cage effortlessly pulls off the character and the Oscars for that role in 1996 is completely deserved for that performance. It would be a shame if you are a Nicholas Cage fan and you missed this masterpiece.