Top 10 Nic Cage Movies FanRank

Nicolas Cage is known for playing some wacky and truly out-there characters. And even when they’re not that way on paper, his trademark energy usually shines through regardless. Case in point, Michael Bay’s “The Rock.” Here, Cage plays an FBI weapons specialist who’s brought into the field to stop a hostage situation on Alcatraz Island. He teams up with Sean Connery’s John Mason, the only man to successfully escape the prison. The interplay between Cage and Connery is worth the price of admission alone. And while Cage ostensibly plays the straight man, Connery’s infectious personality gets him to come out of his shell on more than one occasion. Kudos to the fans who made sure this one got a ranked spot in our live poll!

We absolutely love it during the live show when you tell us of a pick we otherwise may not have considered. And obviously, we heard you loud and clear about your love for “Lord of War.” This time around, Cage plays an arms dealer who illegally distributes weapons of all kinds to militaries all over the world. This of course means his character is constantly dodging the law and balking at numerous moral quandaries. While this particular character is fictional, the stories were heavily drawn from the experiences of many real-life arms dealers. In this sense, Cage fits right into a grounded and all-too believable industry, with the kind of confidence and pathos to sell each scene.

Getting back to pure ‘90s Cage action, once “Con Air” takes off, it never even thinks about landing. Metaphorically speaking, of course. Nicolas Cage has sported several iconic do’s over the years, but none of them come close to the beautiful mane on Cameron Poe. But a movie isn’t a great hairstyle alone, as Cage proves to be the most essential part in something that already has a lot going for it. Perfectly complementing an all-star cast, Cage’s Poe exudes the right amount of bravado and poise an action hero needs. And if you say his southern accent isn’t up to snuff, you are clearly missing the point. Bombastic and brash, “Con Air” will never lose its charms.

Let’s just say it up front: Nicolas Cage is a very “extra” actor. But amazingly in movies like “Matchstick Men,” he keeps from distracting the story while still retaining every ounce of manic energy. This one sees Cage playing a con artist with both Tourette’s and OCD. You can see how this role could’ve easily gone wrong, but never do we doubt Cage’s portrayal as he seeks to navigate an ever-complicating con. To that end, “Matchstick Men” never wavers as it seamlessly weaves a self-sustaining story with just enough twists and follow-through to leave the viewer immensely satisfied. Oh, and it’s got a Nicolas Cage freakout for the ages.

“Pig” on the other hand features no such freakouts. On the contrary, Cage is incredibly reserved here, but in that reservation is an absolutely soul-rending performance not many actors can pull off. In the role nobody saw coming, Nicolas Cage plays a formerly-renown chef-turned-secluded truffle-forager. When his prize pig is stolen from him, he reenters the high-end Portland food scene to track it down. From that synopsis alone, you may expect a “John Wick” style action vehicle for Cage, but the movie is actually an understated and raw character drama. It is steeped in mood and intensity, all of which is punctuated by Cage’s absolutely mesmerizing turn. It truly is the truffle atop his late-career Cage-aissance.

The movie that arguably put both Nicolas Cage and the Coen brothers on the map, “Raising Arizona” is quintessential Cage. While he is reliably wacky, this is the rare case of a movie meeting his level of physical comedy every step of the way. Not only that, but he’s backed up by equally impressive performances from actors like Holly Hunter and John Goodman. “Raising Arizona” if nothing else is a fast-paced flick, whose plot of a repeat criminal and a cop stealing a baby to love and protect never ceases to entertain. It also puts Cage’s character in a slew of kooky scenarios, like holding up a convenience store for a packet of Huggies.

Seriously, in case you didn’t know, Nicolas Cage’s varying approaches to playing different characters is downright fascinating. For “Moonstruck,” he took his character’s love for opera very seriously, making that show in all of his uber-dramatic and arduous mannerisms. Despite he and Cher turning in very different performances, they work surprisingly well together as two halves of an unlikely romcom pair. But of course, there are still times when it’s Cage’s time to shine, and shine he does. Between this and “Raising Arizona,” he definitely had a banner of a 1987. And while his career has certainly ebbed and flowed ever since, we knew back then that this actor would always be riveting.

There’s probably another film on this list you’re expecting where Nicolas Cage also plays two different characters. But we’d be remiss if we didn’t also highlight “Adaptation” where he literally plays off himself. Portraying a fictionalized version of the movie’s screenwriter Charlie Kaufman and Kaufman’s entirely fictionalized brother, Cage gets to have his cake and eat it, too. He gets to play the demure and inwardly twisted Charlie, while also flexing his comedic muscles as the enthusiastic and dim-witted Donald. The dual performance netted Cage his second Oscar nomination. But it’s honestly too bad it wasn’t a triple performance, otherwise we’d probably make a joke about Donald’s movie pitch for “The 3.”

Nicolas Cage may have been Oscar-nominated for “Adaptation,” but he flat-out won at the 1996 ceremony for “Leaving Las Vegas,” and it’s not hard to see why. By all means, this isn’t the fun watch that a lot of these other ones are, it being about a man with depression and alcohol use disorder who seeks to drink himself to death in the City of Sin. But boy are we not captivated by Cage’s nuances all the same. The film plays as a tragedy of sorts, but it’s the burgeoning relationship and offbeat kinship that builds between Cage’s Ben and Elisabeth Shue’s sex worker character that’s at the core of it all. It breaks our hearts every time, but that is exactly what makes “Leaving Las Vegas” so memorable.

Before we unveil your top pick, here are a few Cage-tastic honorable mentions.

“Kick-Ass” (2010)
Big Daddy Is the Superhero Nicolas Cage Was Born to Play

“Mandy” (2018)
The Movie That Started the Cage-aissance in Roaring Fashion

“The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent” (2022)
Nicolas Cage as Nicolas Cage Is the Perfect Casting Choice

“National Treasure” (2004)
The Movie That Sparked Cage’s Love of Treasure-Seeking

“The Family Man” (2000)
A Cage Favorite of the WatchMojo Lady Herself

We’ll be honest, our live show initially saw us putting “Face/Off” somewhere around the #5 position. But you let it be known in poll after poll that you would settle for nothing less than the top spot. In a sense, it really is the Nic Cagiest of all the Nic Cage movies. It has everything: over-the-top action, over-the-top performances, an over-the-top story and over-the-top headbanging. Not only do you get Nicolas Cage playing Nicolas Cage, but you also get Nicolas Cage playing John Travolta playing Nicolas Cage. It really is a lightning in a bottle kind of movie where every volatile ingredient comes together to make something incredibly tasty. It is, unequivocally, the best Nicolas Cage movie.