Nicolas Cage Filmography

After years of churning out films that the internet devoured as GIFs and memes, Cage is back on top with movies like 2021’s Pig and a new A24 release, Dream Scenario. He’s once again earning critical praise for his expressive performances.

But his filmography reads like a random number generator, from inglorious flops (the bees scene in The Wicker Man) to Oscar-winning gems.

Leaving Las Vegas (1990)

After a few lackluster films in the early 1990s, Cage won an Academy Award for his performance as alcoholic screenwriter Ben Sanderson in this semi-autobiographical drama. He immersed himself in the role, reportedly drinking heavily to understand his character’s self-destructive mindset.

This movie is a bit heavy handed, but it’s an excellent showcase for Cage’s ability to deliver a wide range of emotions. It’s also a good example of his tendency to go out on a limb in his performances, which has led to some bizarre moments (remember him angrily reciting the alphabet in Vampire’s Kiss?).

After this primewire film, Cage went on to star in a series of big budget action movies that were hits at the box office. He would later find success with films like The Rock, Con Air, and Face/Off.

The Rock (1996)

With a career that spans over four decades, Nicolas Cage has had more ups than downs, from Oscar-winning films to generic video-on-demand schlock. He has starred in major blockbusters and contemplative character studies, pushed boundaries and surprised jaded audiences.

After appearing in the 1987 romantic comedy Moonstruck, the Coen Brothers cult classic Raising Arizona and the offbeat drama Wild at Heart, Cage zigged when Hollywood wanted to zag with big budget action movies like The Rock, Con Air, Gone in Sixty Seconds and the National Treasure franchise. He capped the ’90s with a romantic fantasy about an angel who accompanies the spirits of deceased people to heaven in City of Angels. Then he made his directorial debut with Sonny in 2002. By the mid-’00s, he was again nominated for an Academy Award and began producing his own work through his Saturn Films company.

Con Air (1997)

After a period in the late 1990s and 2000s that saw him starring in direct-to-streaming action films low on plot and high on explosions, Cage rediscovered his roots with critically acclaimed films for directors like Martin Scorsese, Werner Herzog, Spike Jonze, and Nicolas Winding Refn. His acting was once again reverentially praised, with Lynch calling him “the jazz musician of American acting” and Ethan Hawke effusing about his ability to create characters that seem alive onscreen.

Despite the goofy premise of Con Air, which sees Cage playing a prison transport pilot skyjacked by scenery-chewing criminals, Simon West’s film is surprisingly well made. It’s a good reminder of what made Cage so exciting to watch in the first place.

Face/Off (1997)

Nicolas Cage is one of the few actors who can be convincingly funny while also delivering sensationally violent action. He demonstrates this ability with this movie about an ex-CIA agent who is sent to Pakistan on a mission from God. The film alternates between earnest attempts at symbolism and crazed over-the-top action that is aware of how ridiculous it all is.

Cage and John Travolta are both at the top of their respective games in this thrillingly over-the-top action flick. The film features slow-motion gunfights, a six-way standoff and a speedboat chase that are sure to please fans of the genre. It was the first of several films that would prove Cage is capable of more than rom-coms and musicals.

Adaptation (2001)

Whether he’s playing a nerdy dad, a superhero or even a guy who kidnaps the president, Cage’s performances are always full-on. He’s not afraid to take paycheck roles but he’s also willing to take a part all the way to the edge, and that has led him to some truly memorable movies.

The nephew of Francis Ford Coppola, Cage honed his craft in such cult films as Valley Girl (1983) and Raising Arizona (1987). He later tried his hand at erotic drama in Wild at Heart before embracing a style that combines dark comedy with heightened acting technique. Those qualities are on display in his latest film, Adaptation. He plays Red, a logger and author who takes revenge on cannibalistic bikers in the Shadow Mountains of the Mojave Desert.

Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (2009)

After a long period of starring in large-budget explosive films that flopped at the box office, Cage found his niche again in movies that made critical waves and earned him awards. Whether he was an alcoholic writer in Leaving Las Vegas or a revenge-seeking soldier in Mom and Dad, Cage infused every role with his own brand of quirky madness.

He even took on a supporting role in his uncle Francis Ford Coppola’s Peggy Sue Got Married and Rumble Fish, as well as the offbeat comedy Matchstick Men. In Bad Lieutenant, Cage plays a New Orleans detective who struggles with drugs and moral degradation during a murder investigation. The movie isn’t for the faint of heart, and Cage proves that he was never afraid to take the risky path.

Dream Scenario (2015)

With a starring role as an aging professor who starts appearing in other people’s dreams, Nicolas Cage is all in on this dark comedy. It’s the second film from Norwegian writer/director Kristoffer Borgli, who honed his craft with shorts before making this feature debut.

The movie centers on Paul Matthews, a painfully plain college professor whose life takes an unexpected turn when he begins to appear in other people’s dreams. At first, he’s flattered by the attention but soon finds that fame comes with a price.

Dream Scenario is an offbeat flick that combines social satire with delicious weirdness, and it’s another strong entry in the Cage canon alongside Mandy and Pig. It’s a must-see for fans of the actor’s offbeat style. It’s currently playing in select theaters and on VOD.