Opinion: Nicolas Cage: Good or bad?
Nicolas Cage is an American film actor that has been in at least 110 films from 1983 to today. In an online video review, Diegesis notes, “One of the reasons it’s hard to get a good idea of the man’s acting range is because he’s just so prolific…Nicolas Cage has been in twenty-one movies since 2017.”
But does quantity equal quality? Is Nicolas Cage, one of the most problematic actors of all time or good at his craft? He’s won or been nominated for numerous awards including a Golden Globe and an Academy Award (and a Golden Raspberry), but does that mean he’s always given a stellar performance?
Abso-friggin-lutely.
Nicolas Cage is an actor that gives it his all, treating every roll as if it were his last and his first. Films such as “Mandy,” “Raising Arizona”, and “Kick-Ass” (as well as dozens of others) are considered some of his “saving grace” movies that keep him afloat. While “Season of the Witch,” “Running with the Devil,” and “The Trust” (as well as dozens of others) have not highlighted his style of acting.
Holly Hunter, Nicolas Cage, & T.J. Kuhn in Raising Arizona (1987) (IMDB)
In an article published in the Guardian, journalist Emma Brockes interviewed Cage on his history of acting. The actor stated that he took creative liberty to heart, saying he’s a performer not an actor. “He plays defeat very well, too — it’s in the stoop of his shoulders, the slump at the back of his neck — and there is what the US film critic Roger Ebert famously called Cage’s “inner tremble,” that look of excruciate bafflement that speaks to the panic of being alive.”
There’s something about him that’s so irresistible to the public. He’s ranged through genres and studios, trying to find his ground from Disney and Universal Studios, to Indie filmmakers. Cage doesn’t slow down.
Describing the secret genius of Nic Cage, Screen Rant said, “On one hand he’s the celebrated actor that won an academy award for his part in ‘Leaving Las Vegas.’ And he also boasts an Oscar nomination for his performance in Adaptation. While on the other hand, his portrayal of Peter Loew in ‘Vampire’s Kiss’ spawned countless internet memes. And his roles in ‘Face/Off’ sparked an entire subreddit proclaiming that he is the one true God.”
Many believe that Cage’s style is an acquired taste; one that fits best with action flicks and psychological thrillers. Even in films, like “Ghost Rider,” where his persona is not so freaky, Cage manages to present hysterical and psychotic undertones.
Nicolas Cage in Ghost Rider (2007) (IMDB)
In an article by Brian Nguyen, published on Tylt, he writes about whether or not Cage is good or bad, when really, he’s neither. “Dan Harmon has a more diplomatic answer: Cage is Cage. He’s neither good nor bad, but he is someone who can get the entire room talking about how good or bad he is. That’s a special kind of talent.”
Contrary to popular beliefs, Cage does not act in as many films as he possibly can in order to pay back the debts he’s accumulated over the years, but because he loves to work.
He’s perfected a genius style of method “schmacting”(overacting), becoming authentic in the plastic world of Hollywood. “Nicolas Cage is an unencumbered artist, and art can make viewers uncomfortable …no one can ever refute that he is a memorable actor, if nothing else…simply put, [he] is a genius. He is an artist in the truest sense of the word…”
Some actors take a break, wait for something to come along that will compliment them. But Cage will only strive to be better, ignoring critics and audiences to be his own self.
The reason he’s been casted in over a hundred films in under four decades: he loves what he does and is working on his goal to be what he wants to be. You can’t buy that reliability from more “respectable” actors in Hollywood.
Trust Nic Cage to bring home a momentous and eccentric performance that only he can give.
Megan Cowdell is a freshman opinion columnist studying for a bachelor’s in Communications. She loves music, reading and wants to write books for a living.
megan.cowdell@usu.edu