Before watching the video, my personal picks would be: 1.) Raising Arizona 2.) Leaving Las Vegas 3.) Joe 4.) Peggy Sue Got Married 5.) Face-Off (yes he's ridiculous in it, but he spends half the movie playing John Travolta pretending to be crazy-version Nicholas Cage)
I love Cage's performance in Moon Struck, it really changed how I saw him as an actor cause I mainly knew him from Ghostrider and Nation Treasure. His "Johnny has his hand!" monologue is amazing.
"Matchstick Men" was really great, but "Leaving Las Vegas" is one of my favorite movies of all time. His performance is spot-on as a severe alcoholic, and he actually hired "professional drinkers" to coach him on drinking and got blackout drunk for the casino "I am his father!" scene. 10/10 and is one of the saddest, most disturbingly realistic movies in Hollywood history. Bravo, Mr. Cage. Honorable mention to the gorgeous and immensely talented Elisabeth Shue.
gearzdesign meh, not an amazing movie, and he wasn't the best thing in they movie. Jared Leto falling apart with the coke and his conscience were way better imo
To each their own, I think it's one of his best movies, *mainly* because it's a far different Nic Cage, more subdued and quiet (in most cases) than his other roles. And I love Jared Leto, and while he was great in the movie as well, he's definitely done better (Requiem, Dallas buyers club for examples)
Was surprised not to se "Lord of War" here. This is one hell of a good movie (psychologically dark and very depressing, but still), and Nicholas Cage is good in it. Hoped to see it at least in Honorable Mentions.
Do you think you could make a video on how to be successful in the film acting business? I feel like you would do that really well. It would help me a lot because I'm going to be a high school senior soon, and I want film acting to be my major after graduation, so I would like all the advice I can get, and I trust this channel's judgment.
My favorite performance of his was Family Man. He made it believable that a man could chose a "lesser" life. Growing up anything less than a college degree and a professional career has been painted as "failure" for someone like me who now works as a custodian but could have been more if I had made different choices it was an amazing movie seeing this man who realized that all of the success in the world didn't mean anything if it cost him what he really wanted.
NC: this was all part of a new reality show call "Fucking with cage"! Next week we're gonna find out what happens when we make him think he's a vampire. cage running down street: I'M A VAMPIRE! I'M A VAMPIRE!
I agree. I don't get why people think all acting has to realism? People love surreal movies but hates surreal acting. Cage can do it all. He can be a great realistic actor in dramas. Great in comedy. Entertaining in action/adventures and no one can play crazy anywhere close to him.
First time I watched your stuff, Walter. Yer a really sympathetic guy, y'know? I like the way you articulate yourself, and how your personality comes across. Wish I would've tuned in sooner.
This is the most accurate one I've seen from you thus far. All these performances made into my top 10 for Nicolas Cage but only 3 made into my top 5 and you almost have all three of them at the same spot except two I have the opposite & the other I have one spot higher than what you put it. So to start The Weather Man performance I agree is a hidden Cage gem performance which is why ultimately I put it in my top 10 at #10. Matchstick Men almost made my top 5 but one performance you did not mention got the nod instead. Matchstick Men got number 6 for me. Finally number 1 & 2 I agree are his two strongest performances and rightfully so he got nominated for one & won for the other but I think the nominated performance should've won over the performance that did for his oscar. I put Adaptation at 1 because there's second to none of actors that would be able to portray twins like Charlie & Donald and make them both convincingly their own characters. That's a double feat that Cage tremendously and astoundingly pulled off and that's why ultimately I had to go with Adaptation as his best performance ever. Leaving Las Vegas is the harder performance to watch and the best alcoholic performance I've ever seen done so honest and brutal. You completely forget it's Nicolas Cage and only see him as Ben in that entire movie & Elizabeth Shue was also just as great and helped elevate his performance even more. Raising Arizona I just recently watched and it ranked 4 for me and it almost hit the top 3 if it wasn't for Face Off. Yes the movie is cheesy at times but once again we have two very different Cage Performances & working opposite John Travolta was pure genius. Those two were made to work together. I just couldn't put it lower than 3 & number 5 is what I feel is Cages most underrated performance and Martin Scorseses most underrated directed film and that's Bringing Out The Dead. Rounding out my top 10 which was by no means easy to do I went with a Sailor Ripley in Wild At Heart at #7, Terence McDonough in Bad Leutenant which almost made the top 5 till I went through all the other great Cage Performances so I settled at 8 for that one and at number 9 I chose Charlie Lang It Could Happen To You. Birdy almost made it into the top 10 but got an honorable mention instead as I felt the performances mentioned above were stronger and better.
People always seem to forget despite all the bad movies that he has done some amazing movies I think I've only seen one of the movies on this list so I need to get to work
1) Leaving Las Vegas 2) Lord of War 3) Outcast (Yes, I'm serious. He was shockingly convincing as a PTSD suffering, batshit insane, drunken former veteran of the Crusades and I REALLY like all the ticks he gave the character. I didn't even mind his crappy accent, he was that fucking good.) 4) Adaptation 5) Raising Arizona
I've never seen Leaving Last Vegas, because I always assumed it was that one where he skydives dressed as Elvis in Vegas, in order to win back his girlfriend, or something. C'mon. Wild at Heart, tho? Honorable mention AT LEAST!
CaptainAtomSmasher No it’s not that at all, in fact it’s a very depressing film about a guy who drinks himself to death and a prostitute falling in love with him and him falling in love with her and that’s really about it.
If this list were done today: 1. Leaving Las Vegas 2. Adaptation 3. Mandy 4. Lord of War 5. Matchstick Men Honerable Mentions: Raising Arizona, Face/Off, Kick Ass, Joe, Moonstruck.
"Leaving Las Vegas" is a great film. It doesn't even really feel like a Cage film. He's just... miserable. Completely miserable. And as the audience, well, misery loves company.
I remember watching Matchstick Men when I was about 12 years old and being blown completely away. Really it's one of the most jarring movies I've ever seen and I'm amazed it doesn't make more "best of" lists.
Walter this video is so awesome I can't find the words to describe it! I've always enjoyed Nicholas Cage performances for their insanity and hilarity. I think my two favorite movies of his are Face Off and the apocalyptic film Knowing. In Face Off he plays one crazy awesome villain!
MY TOP 5 - 5. Leaving Las Vegas 4. Raising Arizona 3. Kick-Ass 2. Face/Off Honourable Mentions: Vampire's Kiss, Matchstick Man, Peggy Sue Got Married 1. Con Air
Matchstick Men blew my goddamn mind back when I first seen it. I won't say more since you went out of your way to keep things vague, but it definitely a must-watch and preferably without knowing anything other than what was mentioned in this video.
I cannot believe they didn't add Lord of War to this list...It wasn't even on the honorable mentions. One of his best performances and hands down my favorite Nick Cage movie! I was waiting for it too lol.
I was hoping you would say Adaptation. I saw that movie in my adaptation class (ironically) this semester and Cage really made it work. We've been making The Three jokes all year.
I like when people talk about movies but hate lists. Do we have High Fidelity (a great film to be sure) to blame for this trend or is it just a negative human pattern to need to judge everything... Oh well, still glad to hear others like things I like!
I can't believe "Wild at Heart" is not on this list. Yes it was an over the top performance, but the movie is over the top on purpose, and he is perfect in that.
I'd toss in The Croods as an honorable mention. One of the few times casting a big named paid off for DreamWorks because you actually forget it's him behind the character
Nicolas Cage is awesome - many of my friends think he is a terrible actor and so I did - until I watched his late 80s-early 00s films. He did not win an Oscar for nothing, and had the IRS thing never happened, he could have remained an A-list actor today. By the way, I am glad you mentioned Joe as an honorable mention - it was such a good movie!
You know what the funniest part is?: I know, how awesome Nick Cage is and I have seen *NONE* of the movies (not even honorable mentions) on this list! If this was about awesome movies, featuring Nick Cage, it could have easily been a top 10 or even 20 list!
Why didn't you mention Snake Eyes? That should have atleast been in the honorable mentions! That had to be one of my favorite Nicholas Cage of all time ever. I can't believe you didn't mention it! :P
I didn't know about some of these movies. Thanks for sharing. I feel like a lot of good performances from Cage come from these rather artistic and uncomfortable films.
