There’s no other actor quite like Nicolas Cage. While some regard him as little more than an overacting punchline, others insist that he is one of the most wildly talented movie stars of the last half-century. Cage has been in the spotlight for so long that he has had a rise, fall, subsequent rise, subsequent fall, and yet another rise in his time as an actor, with the recent Cage re-appreciation culminating with his fantastic meta-performance in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent.Â
But what does one make of Cage at this point? It’s a question that has broken many people stronger than me but to fully appreciate the scope of his one-of-a-kind filmography, I decided to watch and rank 50 movies that span the course of his unique career.Â
So what did I learn from digesting this many Cage films? Everything and nothing, as Cage’s career is one packed with endless contradictions. Is he one of the most dynamic and uniquely skilled actors I’ve ever seen? Certainly. And yet, it cannot be denied that he has also delivered some bafflingly bad performances. However, generally, I remain firmly in the camp that Cage has a range that few other actors possess and a willingness to fully commit to any role that makes him imminently watchable. And while there are some flops in his filmography, his good movies far outweigh the bad.Â
Without any further Adaptation-style rambling from me, here is my definitive ranking of 50 movies that best encapsulate the career of Nicolas Cage.
