Lord of War
Netflix
Actually, one of Cage’s most restrained performances and a film that’s actually quite good – Lord of War is all about arms trafficking and selling guns and stuff. It’s noted for the involvement of Amnesty International who wanted to highlight the state of the arms trade and the involvement of the US, UK and other Western economies. It also has a brilliant opening which shows the life of a bullet from being made, to going in a gun to then being shot. It’s worth it for the opening alone.
Knowing
Netflix
Definitely one of Cage’s maddest films of all time, again his performance is rather subdued, except on occasions when he’s trying to explain to people exactly what is going on. I suppose that’s because it’s really hard to explain what’s happening, as he finds a series of numbers written by a mad woman that somehow predicts disasters around the world. It’s actually quite enjoyable but it is spoiled by the most batshit crazy ending you’ll ever see in a major motion picture. Check it out.
The Wicker Man
Amazon Prime
Okay – so this remake of the 1973 classic is an absolute shit show of a movie, but it’s one that’s full of some serious WTF moments – most of the time centred around Cage’s acting and ‘raging out’. One of the maddest bits is where he gets tied up and gets bees thrown on him for some unknown reason (although I think they try to subtly hint throughout the movie that he’s allergic to them). It doesn’t make any sense and Cage’s acting is gloriously OTT in the best way imaginable. Get hammered and watch it – you’ll love it.
Between Worlds
Netflix
Quite possibly one of the weirdest films you’ll ever watch, Between Worlds involves a lot of shagging, a lot of choking and a fair amount of supernatural weird stuff to keep you watching past the shite acting. Cage is on his usual top form though, at one point doing his usual Cage-Out while setting himself on fire and smoking a cigarette. One final thing, this film received a standing ovation during its premier… in Texas. Says it all really.
Stolen
Netflix
Stolen. Taken. Taken. Stolen. Hmmmm. Seems a bit similar. Well, it is – it’s basically a Cage-included carbon copy of the Liam Neeson action movie but with a bit of Heat heist action thrown in. Looking at the poster you’d think that the movie was about how a slim 30-year-old man has been given a Nicholas Cage head transplant but once you get past that it’s actually a half-decent film with plenty of shit acting, gun firing action. Cage is pretty subdued in this one too – not much crazy-ness to report.
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans
Amazon Prime
Probably the most unhinged you’ll see Cage, unless you catch him in a toilet cubicle in a club in Tenerife, this movie is not only one of his maddest performances it’s also probably one of the best films he’s ever done. Directed by the legend that is Werner Herzog, there’s so many things going on in this film that it’s almost like a rollercoaster ride, except one with a shit load of drugs, shagging and the obligatory murders. Cage is ace in this and if you ever wanted to show someone just how mad he is – this is the movie for you.
The Humanity Bureau
Netflix
This film perfectly encapsulates the predicament that Nicholas Cage has found himself in. He must be absolutely brassic after spending all of his 90’s movie bucks on some weird shit – including dinosaur bones, the first-ever Superman comic and a fighter jet – so now he’s just saying “yes” to any film in order to pay his rent. That explains why he’s in The Humanity Bureau, a film that even Cage doesn’t want to be in, never mind all of the other actors, most of who have taken a break from stacking shelves at Tesco to appear.
