Nicolas Cage Has had one of the most varied careers in Hollywood, but it is in the action movie genre that he has some of his most acclaimed and memorable roles. With three iconic releases in 1996 alone, incl The stone, Can airAnd Face / awayCage has made a name for himself as a non-stop worker who is always willing to embrace even the most outlandish of movie premises. From blockbuster smashes to later lesser-known direct-to-video releases, Cage has become a touchstone in modern popular culture and has achieved cult status among action movie lovers.
While some of Cage’s best movies are undisputed action classics, there are also some heartbreakingly low points in his long and bloated filmography. Whether he’s portraying a necromancer father, a man who escaped hell, or even a forward-looking action hero, Cage has consistently remained totally committed to his roles and brought his unique style and eccentricity to Hollywood’s film landscape. With releases that include truly awful movies, so-bad-it’s-good films, or beloved classics, Cage’s action movie career was an undeniable part of the actor’s strange and enigmatic legacy.
20
Arsenal (2017)
Nicolas Cage as Eddie King
It is the opinion that Nicolas Cage decided to reprise his role from the 1993 box office flop and critically reviled movie Deadfall For yet another obscure film that borders on offensive in its dullness. in Arsenal, Cage played the sleazy mobster Eddie KingA wig, wearing a mustache, a caricature with a prosthetic nose, whose outrageous nature was a bit on the nose, even for lovers of Cage’s unique acting style. Arsenal was a painfully mediocre action movie about gangsters and kidnappings that is best avoided altogether.
19
211 (2018)
Nicolas Cage as Mike Chandler
As just one in a long line of forgettable action movies from Nicolas Cage, 211 Followed a police officer and teenager stuck in a bank during a violent shootout and was loosely based on the actual 1997 North Hollywood shootout. Like a disjointed mix of action movie tropes held together by an uninspired plot, 211 is truly the bottom of the barrel regarding Cage’s many direct-to-video releases. with very little going for him, 211 was a generic heist movie Which totally lacks the unique charm and originality of Cage’s greatest action offerings.
18
Rage (2014)
Nicolas Cage as Paul Maguire
disappointing, Storm Never managed to quite meet the so-bad-it’s-good criteria of Nicolas Cage action movies And instead stood as a missing kidnapping story. With Cage as a former reformed criminal whose kidnapped daughter forces him to gather his old crew and resume his old habits, this was a movie done ten times better in the countless. Taken Rip-offs out there. Although this kind of violence-filled story of pure revenge has been a franchise starting in the past, here it was just a forgettable retread of action movie clichés.
17
Outcast (2014)
Nicolas Cage as Gallain
The American-Chinese-Candian co-production Thrown out Paired Nicolas Cage with Hayden Christensen For a Universal panned period action movie set during the Crusades. Thrown out was slated by critics, with Glenn Kenny of rogerebert.com Rightfully noted that it represented Cage moving out of his “Entertaining eccentric phaseAnd in hisGenuine befuddling and perhaps sad phase.” This was best left only for cage-completionists, as the tale of Chinese emperors and mysterious warriors failed to connect with anyone and boasts an affordable 4% critics score Rotten tomatoes.
16
Grand Island (2019)
Nicolas Cage as Walter
Grand Island Saw Nicolas Cage play a hard-drinking Vietnam veteran Haunted by his past in a depressing story that saw a young man trying to prove his innocence against accusations of murdering Cage’s wife. With a slowly unfolding story of sad and angry characters, Grand Island Contained glimpses of Cage’s unique talents as his dark characterization kept things interesting. While there was enough intrigue in this neo-noir tale to make this one worth recommending to casual Cage fans, unfortunately, the weak script and structural issues of Grand Island Stop it from achieving greatness.
15
Primal (2019)
Nicolas Cage as Frank Walsh
Primal had the exact kind of over-the-top concept that makes a great Nicolas Cage action movie, though for as much fun as it was, it fell short of that honor and was more of A guilty pleasure in Cage’s filmography. With Cage as Frank Walsh, a big game hunter who catches a 400-pound white jaguar, all hell breaks loose when the big cat is shipped on the same vehicle as a skilled killer who sets the animal free. like the animal Primal is wild and unhinged but lacks the B-movie energy and urgency found in Cage’s best action offerings.
14
Vengeance: A Love Story (2017)
Nicolas Cage as John Dromoor
Revenge: A Love Story, Adapted from a novel by Joyce Carol Oates, tells the story of a policeman investigating the rape of a single mother who was forced to take the law into his own hands after the attackers were released. While Revenge has a disappointingly formulaic revenge movie structure, Talitha Batman’s incredible performance As the daughter elevated the film into something more than the sum of its parts. Unfortunately, Cage never seemed to connect with his role fully and struggled with the film’s slower pace, which, from a performance perspective, made it one of his weaker works.
13
Bangkok Dangerous (2008)
Nicolas Cage as Joe
Bangkok Dangerous was a remake of the Pang Brothers’ own 1999 Thai film that cast Nicolas Cage as a professional contract killer forced to violate his personal code for the good of those he loves. While it may not have a deeply complex storyline, for those looking for solid action movie fun and a long-haired Cage shooting his way through Bangkok, it more than delivers. Cage also acted as a producer on the American remake Which was the fun line between entertainment and pure ridiculousness.
12
Dog Eat Dog (2016)
Nicolas Cage as Troy
Dog eat dog It’s worth watching just to see two of the most interesting actors in Hollywood, Nicolas Cage and Willem Dafoe, share the screen together. From the famous director Paul Schrader, Dog eat dog Doesn’t quite live up to his best work, such as the screenplays for Taxi driver And Raging BullYet his thrilling story of three ex-cons holding a kidnapped baby for ransom remained engaging and witty throughout. With many talented people involved, Dog eat dog Had great chemistry, a branching story, a strong sense of humor.
11
Stolen (2012)
Nicolas Cage as Will Montgomery
It is a story as old as time; A former thief has 12 hours to track down $10 million dollars and save his daughter of imminent danger in Stolen. Although it bombed at the box office when it was first released, look back on it StolenIt was a high-octane thriller that kept intensity in a classic race-against-the-clock style story. There is nothing much deeper than that in StolenBut everything came together incredibly well, and, in typical Cage fashion, he gave everything to a script that a lesser actor would have phoned in.
10
Drive Angry (2011)
Nicolas Cage as John Milton
The exploitation action horror movie Drive angry Ticks all the right boxes for an outrageous Nicolas Cage film. Like John Milton, Cage stole Satan’s personal shotgun and escaped Hell To save his grandson from the man who killed his daughter in a supreme exercise in totality. Cage was perfectly cast as the vengeful man who spent ten years in Hell, and while he had no problem enduring the pain inflicted on him there, having to watch a video feed depicting his daughter’s murder constantly was unbearable. .
9
A Score to Settle (2019)
Nicolas Cage as Frank Carver
Nicolas Cage played Frank, a magazine who took the case for a crime he did not commit for $450,000 and with the promise that his son would be protected while he was incarcerated. However, a six-year sentence quickly turned into life, and when Frank was released for medical reasons, he had old scores to settle with the crooks who broke their promise. A score to settle It was a lot of fun for what it wasHow Cage helped elevate what could have been a forgettable film into pure B-movie action fun.
8
next (2007)
Nicolas Cage as Chris Johnson
Next was adapted from a story by Philip K. Dick and stars Nicolas Cage as a man who can see into the future and must avoid a group of terrorists who want to use his powers for evil. With a star-studded cast that included Julianne Moore and Jessica Biel, Next was a high-intensity popcorn flick with thought-provoking sci-fi undertones. As a box office flop, despite being a lot of fun, Next represented Cage’s faltering reputation as a major movie action star and signaled his gradual decline in many lackluster straight-to-video releases in subsequent years.
7
Firebirds (1990)
Nicolas Cage as Jake Preston
There is no denying that Firebirds was not complete Top Gun Ripoff that switched out Tom Cruise’s naval aviator Maverick for Nicolas Cage as the helicopter pilot Jake Preston. With some impressive visuals, a romantic subplot, and a mentor-mentee relationship between Cage and Tommy Lee Jones, Firebirds Rehashed much of the same story beats as Top Gun And failed at the box office as a result. But looking back, the stunts and visuals were impressive, the aerial battles looked great, and the world is better off for a cage action movie set in the sky full of corny dialogue.
6
Amos & Andrew (1993)
Nicolas Cage as Amos Odell
The highly underrated 1990s action-comedy Amos and Andrew was a buddy movie with insightful racial themes As Samuel L. Jackson played a Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright while Nicholas was a two-bit thief who was tasked by the police to take the case for their mistakes. When Jackson’s white neighbors mistook him for a burglar, all hell broke loose when they opened fire on his home and recruited Cage to make it look like a kidnapping. As a light-hearted exploration of race, class and racial profiling, Amos and Andrew was a hilarious, thought-provoking examination of prejudice and how friendships can be formed in the most unlikely of places.
5
Gone in 60 Seconds (2000)
Nicolas Cage as Randall “Memphis” Raines
As an independent remake of the 1974 film of the same name, Gone in 60 seconds Starring Nicolas Cage as a former car thief who comes out of retirement to steal 50 cars in one night in exchange for his brother’s life. With an excellent premise for delivering over-the-top action and intense car chase sequences, Cage, Angelina Jolie and Robert Duvall kick it into overdrive for this outrageous heist. While Gone in 60 seconds was poorly received by criticsIts over $237 million take at the box office (via Box Office Mojo) proved audiences were happy to go along for the ride.
4
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022)
Nicolas Cage as Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage fully embraced his meme-able persona for The unbearable weight of massive talentA satirical action movie where he played a down-on-his-luck fictional version of himself. Starring Cage as a struggling Hollywood actor and as Nicky Cage, a figment of his own imagination representing the odd glory days of his career, this surreal, action-packed adventure saw Cage caught between a criminal superfan and the FBI hoping to bring him down. The unbearable weight of massive talent was a special treat for Cage lovers and featured incredible chemistry between himself and his co-star Pedro Pascal.
3
Can Air (1996)
Nicolas Cage as Cameron Po
The year 1996 was truly transformative for Cage, as he proved his potential as an action-hero leading man in three iconic movies and never looked better than as the long-haired convict Cameron Poe in Can air. With a deep story set in the sky, Poe got caught in the middle of a hijacked plane full of criminals How he worked with authorities to recover the flight and enjoy his parole. With impressive visual style, consistent wit and a truly over-the-top plot, Can air Represented all that was great about cage action movies in the 1990s.
2
The Rock (1996)
Nicolas Cage as Dr. Stanley Godspeed
Michael Bay’s iconic action thriller The stone Seen Nicolas Cage, Sean Connery, and Ed Harris involved in a story about an FBI chemist and former SAS captain breaking into Alcatraz, where a rogue group of Marines held the islands’ tourists hostage. It was a top-tier thriller full of plenty of style that stood out as perhaps Bye’s greatest achievement as a director. With incredible pacing, perfect casting and a story that probably inspired false descriptions of the Iraqi chemical weapons program (via Guardian), The stone was one of Cage’s most iconic movies.
1
Face/Off (1996)
Nicolas Cage as Caster Troy/Sean Archer
Nicolas Cage has made a career for himself by fully embracing truly outrageous concepts and giving his all the stories that have to be seen to be believed. This was certainly the case Face / awayCage’s very best action movie, which saw Cage swapping faces with John Travolta How he played both the hero and the villain in an intense game of cat-and-mouse. With two massive movie stars at the helm, a mind-bogglingly weird concept, and incredible direction from John Woo, Face / away Was truly top notch Nicolas Cage And one of the best action movies ever made.
Sources: rogerebert.com, Rotten tomatoes, Box Office Mojo, Guardian