In the crazy world of Hollywood, Nicholas Cage stands tall as a beacon of pure, unbridled talent. With a career spanning over four decades, Cage has delivered countless iconic performances, many of which are wonderfully insane, and they have left audiences entertained and wanting more.
But, while his blockbuster hits like National Treasure, The Rock, and Con Air are well-known and beloved by fans, there are several underrated hidden gems in his filmography that are often overlooked. Here are ten of Cage’s lesser-known and overlooked movies that every fan has to see:
Wild at Heart (1990): This surreal and bizarre dark comedy love story from director David Lynch follows Cage and Laura Dern as they embark on a wild adventure, filled with kinky sex, Elvis impersonations, and fiery violence.
After serving prison time for a self-defense killing, Sailor Ripley (Nicolas Cage) reunites with girlfriend Lula Fortune (Laura Dern). Lula’s mother, Marietta (Diane Ladd), desperate to keep them apart, hires a hit man to kill Sailor. But he finds a whole new set of troubles when he and Bobby Peru (Willem Dafoe), an old buddy who’s also out to get Sailor, try to rob a store. When Sailor lands in jail yet again, the young lovers appear further than ever from the shared life they covet.
Valley Girl (1983): In this charming and nostalgic 1980s romantic comedy, Cage plays a punk rocker who falls for a wealthy valley girl, played by Deborah Foreman, and must navigate his way through uncharted territory.
Lovely teen Julie Richman (Deborah Foreman) is steeped in the excessive, pink-clad culture of the San Fernando Valley, complete with her narcissistic boyfriend, Tommy (Michael Bowen). At a party, however, Julie falls for an edgy Hollywood punk named Randy (Nicolas Cage), and the two begin an unlikely romance. Torn between fitting in with her superficial friends and embracing a more non-conformist lifestyle, Julie ultimately has to decide to stay with Tommy or take a risk with Randy.
Vampire’s Kiss (1988) – In this dark comedy, Cage plays a literary agent who believes he has been turned into a vampire. As he struggles with his newfound identity, Cage’s character becomes increasingly unhinged, going so far as to wear fangs and drink fake blood.
The life of white-collar New Yorker Peter (Nicolas Cage) seems to revolve solely around making as much money and sleeping with as many women as possible. After a typical night of scouring trendy bars for some action, Peter manages to take home the sexy Rachel (Jennifer Beals), who bites him on the neck while they’re in bed. The next day, Peter is certain he is now a vampire. Though no one shares his point of view and he hasn’t changed physically, he dons fake fangs and begins stalking women.
Red Rock West (1993) – In this neo-noir thriller Cage plays Michael Williams, a man who is mistaken to be a hitman and is hired to kill the wife of a bar owner, so Michael plays along for the money.
When unemployed ex-marine Michael Williams (Nicolas Cage) stumbles into a bar in Red Rock, Wyo., the owner, Wayne (J.T. Walsh), mistakes him for a hired killer and offers him $10,000 to kill his wife, Suzanne (Lara Flynn Boyle). Michael plays along, taking half the money up front, then tells Suzanne what her husband is planning. She seduces Michael and proposes that he kill her husband instead. While he weighs his options, the real killer (Dennis Hopper) turns up looking for his money.
Bringing Out the Dead (1999): In this intense and unflinching drama from director Martin Scorsese, Cage plays a burnt-out paramedic who is haunted by the ghosts of the people he couldn’t save.
After a disheartening and haunting career wears him down, New York City paramedic Frank Pierce (Nicolas Cage) begins to collapse under the strain of saving lives and witnessing deaths. Through the course of a few nights, three co-workers (John Goodman, Ving Rhames, Tom Sizemore) accompany Pierce as he grasps for sanity and pushes to be fired. Before Pierce falls off the edge, he still has a hope when he forms a friendship with a victim’s daughter (Patricia Arquette).
The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (2009) – In this outlandish crime thriller, Cage plays a corrupt and drug-addicted police detective who is tasked with solving a series of murders. As he delves deeper into the case, Cage’s character becomes increasingly deranged.
Terence McDonagh (Nicolas Cage) isn’t doing so well. He has a nasty painkiller addiction, courtesy of an injury he sustained while rescuing a prisoner during Hurricane Katrina. Plus, there’s his alcoholic father (Tom Bower), boozy wife (Jennifer Coolidge) and prostitute girlfriend (Eva Mendes). And, he’s just been saddled with a rookie partner (Shawn Hatosy). Now Terence must pull himself back from the edge of insanity to investigate a series of murders that has the city on edge.
Matchstick Men (2003): In this Ridley Scott-directed clever con-artist caper, Cage plays a neurotic and obsessive-compulsive grifter who must team up with his estranged teenage daughter to pull off a major heist.
Roy (Nicolas Cage), a depressed con artist with obsessive-compulsive disorder, and Frank (Sam Rockwell), his partner, find their line of work complicated by the arrival of Roy’s teenage daughter, Angela (Alison Lohman). Angela brings some spirit back into Roy’s life, and some of his disorder symptoms seem to disappear. But when Angela wants to learn the family business, and Roy allows her to assist on a big scam concerning a businessmen (Bruce McGill), he reconsiders his parenting techniques.
The Weather Man (2005): In this Gore Verbinski-directed darkly comedic drama, Cage plays a struggling weatherman who must confront his personal and professional failures while trying to reconnect with his family.
David Spritz (Nicolas Cage) is a Chicago weatherman who, despite success at his job, is deeply unhappy. Eclipsed by his father, Robert (Michael Caine), a celebrated author, and licking his wounds after his marriage to Noreen (Hope Davis) collapses, David resolves to get his life in order by applying for a high-profile job on a New York City talk show. But with his personal life a shambles, David must decide between fast-tracking his career and repairing his rapidly deteriorating family life.
Joe (2014): In this gritty and powerful indie drama, Cage gives a raw and powerful performance as a hard-drinking ex-con who befriends a troubled young boy and tries to protect him from his abusive father.
The rough-hewn boss (Nicolas Cage) of a lumber crew courts trouble when he steps in to protect the youngest member (Tye Sheridan) of his team from an abusive father.
Mom and Dad (2017) – In this crazy movie, Cage plays a father living in a suburban community, where the moms and dads, mysteriously feel the irresistible impulse to attack and kill their own offspring.
A teenage girl and her little brother try to survive a wild 24 hours during which a mass hysteria of unknown origins causes parents to turn violently on their own children.
Nicolas Cage has starred in so many films over the course of his career. These are just a few that I felt have been overlooked, but they all feature great, fun, and interesting performances from the actor. Looking back on some of these older movies, Cage has also aways had that crazy spark in his eyes, which is why it’s hard not to enjoy the films he makes!