Nicolas Cage did an AMA on Reddit yesterday and he came off as a real humble guy. No surprise there. I’ve never met him, would love to, but all the accounts I’ve heard are that of a humbled, slightly shy and eccentric fella.
He admitted in the AMA what the three favourite performances/movies of his were:
“I think Leaving Las Vegas, Pig and Bringing Out The Dead are my three favorite performances of my own body of work. I have not seen Leaving Las Vegas recently, however that movie and Elizabeth Shue’s work in that movie are what I aspire to continue towards, and did continue towards with Pig, which is why I am always going to be up for small budget, independent, dramas.”
I decided to scroll through his filmography and — hot damn — there are so many great movies to choose from. What a career this guy’s had. And, know what? Despite a stretch of years where he was close to bankruptcy and took on roles purely on the basis of a paycheck, he’s never phoned it in.
”Pig” wouldn’t figure in my Cage top ten, but the other two would. In no particular order:
Leaving Las Vegas, Bad Lieutenant, Matchstick Men, Adaptation, Bringing Out the Dead, Face/Off, Red Rock West, Wild at Heart, Moonstruck and Raising Arizona
And I’m not even including some of his more underrated works, such as Mandy, Joe, Lord of War, Mom & Dad, Dog Eat Dog, and Kick- Ass.
You can read my essay here on why Cage should be considered a great actor and among the ten most influential of the 21st century. His latest film is titled “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent,” and I’ll have a review of it filed and published by Monday evening.