Films starring Nicolas Cage: a description of the best

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Nicholas Kim Coppola, nephew of the great director Francis Ford Coppola, who gave the world such film masterpieces of all times and peoples as The Godfather, Apocalypse Now, Rumble Fish and Dracula, better known to millions of viewers under his creative pseudonym Cage, was born on January 7, 1964 in the resort town of Long Beach, California, USA.

For the first time in the movie, Nicholas Coppola starred at the age of seventeen, making his debut in the comedy TV movie "Better Times". Two years later, he already starred in two major projects at once - the melodrama "Valley Girl", in which he played the main role, as well as his uncle's cult drama "Rumble Fish", during the filming of which he became Cage so that no one could to say that he got into this picture by pull. However, by and large, this is how it happened, which did not at all detract from the future merits of this actor, who today has almostone hundred works in cinema, and about a dozen more in the works.

Let's take a look at the best films starring Nicolas Cage today, in chronological order of their release.

Bird

The first such picture was, of course, the masterpiece "Bird" directed by Alan Parker, which premiered in 1984. In this powerful drama about two young men who have gone through the Vietnam War, Cage is brilliant as the upbeat, carefree and fun-loving Al, who is trying to save his best friend Bird from the captivity of insanity.

Ptah's world is a birdcage closed by himself from strangers. He is a bird who voluntarily hid from the horrors of war. And only the resilient Al Columbato, over and over again trying to get through to his human appearance, is the link between him and reality.

Bird is without a doubt one of the best films starring Nicolas Cage and the most significant of his career.

Wild at heart

In 1990, David Lynch's crime melodrama "Wild at Heart" was released, telling the audience the story of the extraordinary love of the broken and unpredictable Sailor Ripley and Lula Page, whose roles went to Nicolas Cage and actress Laura Dern.

What can I say, a couple of them turned out really wild, explosive and stunning. Sailor and Lula are who they are and no one can take themchange or forbid them to love. So they rush along the endless roads of the United States, overtaken by ruthless killers, and live each day as if it were their last.

It is noteworthy that in this picture, which is one of the best films starring Nicolas Cage, the songs of the famous "King of Rock and Roll" Elvis Presley were performed directly by the actor.

Leaving Las Vegas

The next brilliant role was played by Cage in 1995 in the incredible drama Leaving Las Vegas directed by Mike Figgis. The actor embodied on the screen the autobiographical image of the writer John O'Brien, who wrote only three novels in his life, of which "Leaving Las Vegas", which is essentially his suicide note, became the first, and the other two were published after John's voluntary death, which he decided to do at the age of thirty-three, literally two weeks after the sale of the rights to the film adaptation.

The picture looks like a real nightmare. Literally every frame is riddled with pain and alcohol. Among all the films starring Nicolas Cage, "Leaving Las Vegas" is in a very special place. During filming, the actor really drank incredible amounts of alcohol and cried real tears, and his work was rightfully marked by the only golden Oscar statuette in Cage's career for best male role of the year.

City of Angels

Truly divine film "City of Angels" was released in1998. Together with actress Meg Ryan, Nicolas Cage told the audience the heartbreaking story of the angel Seth, who fell in love with an earthly female doctor and decided to part with heaven for her sake in order to be able to be with her, to touch, enjoy every day and live the life of an ordinary person.

This wonderful dramatic picture is like a fireplace flame on a chilly autumn day. Alas, it has a rather sad end, but despite this, in the heart and soul of the audience after watching it, it becomes incredibly warm. "City of Angels" is a movie masterpiece that can be reviewed endlessly.

Family Man

Nicolas Cage's next extraordinarily kind and utterly charming work was 2000's The Family Man, a truly magical Christmas story that, through the long days of the winter holidays, reminds viewers of days long past, of the people they once loved, and about fate, which, it turns out, can be chosen once in a lifetime. And if you can’t decide on this step, the prankster Santa can come to you and arrange everything. True, the final choice will still be yours.

"Family Man", like the city of "Angels", occupy a special place in the creative career of the actor, better known for the heroes of furious action movies. However, undoubtedly, lyrical and sincere roles are one of his main skates.

After a short review of earlyroles of Nicolas Cage that made him famous all over the world, it's time to focus on a few of his last roles, which best reflect the creative situation in which the actor finds himself today, when his name is increasingly pronounced in a household context …

Gate of Darkness

So, 2015. The mystical thriller "Gates of Darkness" comes out on the screens, telling a rather creepy story about some gates between the worlds of the living and the dead, which open just on the eve of the Halloween holiday. Nicolas Cage plays Professor Mike Lawford, whose son goes missing during a celebration. The police deal only with real cases, so the hero of Cage, in search of his son, has to go beyond the reasonable into the realm of darkness.

In fact, if Nicolas Cage hadn't been in 2015's Dark Gate, it could have been finished in ten minutes. However, the actor, despite all the stereotyped and secondary nature of what is happening, is certainly good. It even becomes a little insulting for him, as if for some reason he was simply forced to act in such a film.

Mission: Inadequate

Cage's next film "Mission: Inadequate" in 2016 cannot be called unsuccessful. In this crazy story about Harry Faulkner, a law-abiding and principled citizen of America, who suddenly decided to pay his debt of honor and single-handedly catch the notorious terrorist bin Laden, the actor is truly magnificent. Moreover, such a Cage, as he appeared before the audience, no one elsenot seen.

"Mission: Inadequate" is a great example of modern comedy. This film, of course, is not a masterpiece, but you can’t call it a passerby either. If only because in him you can see the brilliant comedic talent of an actor more familiar to viewers for roles in dramas and action films.

Revenge: A Love Story

In 2017's Revenge: A Love Story, Nicolas Cage played tough and ruthless cop John Dromur, who came to the rescue of a girl brutally raped in front of her own daughter, whose offenders escaped jail time thanks to high-profile parents. Cage's hero is a Gulf War veteran. Yes, he is first and foremost a police officer. But when the law takes the side of criminals, John turns on his own moral code of honor.

The only thing that separates this action movie from thousands of other similar films is the participation of Nicolas Cage in it. At the same time, the game of the actor himself is much more interesting to watch than everything else that happens on the screen.

Robbery: Code 211

"Robbery: Code 211", a 2018 film, tells another story of a police officer. Nicolas Cage plays officer Mike Chandler, who received a robbery signal, the so-called "code 211". Unfortunately, the first thing that catches your eye in this picture is its obvious second-rate quality. Save this incredible collection of clichés and clichésno actor can do it, so in Nicolas Cage, who selflessly and as if for the last time rushed to save a robbed bank, it seems as if some kind of doom is felt.

Of course, today the obvious financial problems of the actor, caused by numerous litigations with his former passions, are no longer a secret to anyone, as a result of which Cage is forced to take on almost everything that is now offered to him. I really want to believe that in these searches the actor will not lose himself and still wait for a role that is really worthy of his current level …