Photo: Lions Gate
Ever since the cult classic television series ‘Community’ had an episode where movie-obsessed Abed loses his mind attempting to determine whether Nicolas Cage was a good or bad actor, we’ve wondered the same thing. While it doesn’t take away from how much we enjoy his madcap, over-the-top screaming, wild eyes, and scene-stealing acting, we honestly have no idea if the “Con Air’ and ‘Face/Off’ star is actually a good actor or if he’s simply playing himself.
While we might never know the truth, we do know that we finally get to see Nicolas Cage in his most exciting role to date, playing himself. That’s right, Cage will be playing himself in the soon-to-be-released film ‘The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent.’
This makes us wonder about the best, most insane acting performances ever given by the ‘Adaptation’ star. Keep scrolling to see some of our favorites, ranked by just how out-of-bounds the performance was.
Nicolas Cage Roles Ranked
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8) Con Air
Proving that there are few actors with more over-the-top characters than Nicolas Cage, ‘Con Air’ is eighth on our list. Cage plays decorated veteran Cameron Poe who accidentally kills a man in a fight. He’ sent to prison for ten years. About to be paroled, he boards a prison transport plane and bad things happen. Also, he has an entertainingly bad southern accent.
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7) Adaptation
In a role that points us towards the notion that Nicolas Cage is in fact a good actor, he plays screenwriter Charlie Kaufman while he battles anxiety, social phobia, depression, and every other emotional distress while he attempts to adapt the screenplay to the Susan Orlean book ‘The Orchid Thief’.
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6) Face/Off
If Cage hadn’t had so many amazing acting performances, this movie would have landed way higher on this list based solely on how unhinged and crazy his performance as Castor Troy. On top of that, due to a strange, definitely not scientific face swap for most of the movie he’s acting as John Travolta playing the character. Confused? Just watch the movie.
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5) The Wicker Man
Thriller and horror fans don’t hold this remake in high esteem. But, even with its flimsy premise and overacting, Nicolas Cage does an amazing job playing a man who goes from extremely confused to annoyed to frustrated to covered in bees in a giant, sacrificial wicker man.
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4) Mandy
One of the newest films on this list, if you didn’t see ‘Mandy’ you’re really missing out. It takes place in 1983 when a man named Red Miller (played by Cage) and his girlfriend Mandy live an idyllic life in a cabin on a lake. A cult kidnaps and murders his girlfriend and he goes on an insane revenge tour featuring an axe and a crossbow and the usual manic energy of Nic Cage.
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3) Matchstick Men
In 2003’s ‘Matchstick Men’, Nicolas Cage plays a con man who has Tourette’s syndrome and extreme obsessive-compulsive disorder. While sometime his acting can get a little out bounds, in the role he seems to get right to edge of over acting and then just stands there throughout the film.
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2) Leaving Las Vegas
While this movie might not be as madcap as some of his other roles, Nicolas Cage won an Academy Award for his portrayal of an alcoholic Los Angeles-based, suicidal screenwriter named Ben Sanderson whose life is spiraling out of control, and he decides to go to Las Vegas and drink himself to death.
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1) Raising Arizona
You might be wondering why Nicolas Cage’s best performance wasn’t his Oscar-winning role. Well, you probably haven’t seen the Coen Brothers masterpiece ‘Raising Arizona”. In it, Cage plays a man named H.I. "Hi" McDunnough who, along with his police officer wife, decide to steal a baby and raise it.
