Nicolas Cage’s 10 Best Recent Movies, Ranked By IMDb

Nicolas Cage has mostly been relegated to the Direct-to-video bin since about 2011. Within that decade though, he’s released any number of films within a given year, most of which aren’t considered to be worth the price of a rental by many, much less the price of admission to a theatrical screening.

However, there are diamonds in the crowded rough, as Cage has managed to star in several underseen and underrated movies within this time. It’s easy for them to get lost among the near-weekly Redbox releases from the actor, but they’re still well worth seeking out.

10 Dog Eat Dog (2016) – 4.7

• Stream on Hoopla

This starkly unpleasant film follows Cage and Willem Dafoe as two ex-cons who are hired by a mob boss for a very specific purpose, which is to kidnap a rival boss’s baby and extort him. Unfortunately, the pair may not survive until the end.

Dog Eat Dog is one of two legitimately difficult watches of Cage’s recent filmography. It’s not due to quality, but because of what’s shown on the screen. It’s a grim, somewhat languidly-paced, but visually attractive film that could have used a little more focus on what it was trying to say.

9 The Trust (2016) – 5.4

• Stream on Roku, Plex, and IMDb TV

As far as Nicolas Cage’s quotable moments go, The Trust has a keeper. This is the movie where Cage grabs Elijah Wood by his collar and screams “Open it!” over and over and over. Naturally, his line readings grow more intense with each utterance.

In the film, Cage and Wood play corrupt cops stationed in the department’s evidence room. When they learn of a vault carrying drug money, they decide to swoop in and grab the goods for themselves.

8 Running With The Devil (2019) – 5.4

• Stream on Hulu

Running with the Devil had potential, and an excellent cast (Cage, Laurence Fishburne, Leslie Bibb, Barry Pepper, Clifton Collins Jr., Adam Goldberg, Natalia Reyes). Unfortunately, it was somewhat seen as having very little to add to the crime thriller subgenre.

It’s an extremely sexual film, and it frequently strays into uncomfortable territory. The script is also more in line with the film’s direct-to-video home than it is in line with the cast’s acting prowess but fans of those actors might want to give it a shot.

7 Mom And Dad (2017) – 5.5

• Stream on Starz

2017’s Mom and Dad revealed a potential acting safe space for Cage, where the films would be both inventive (his bread and butter) and at least somewhat solid. This safe space is the low-budget horror film (sometimes with a splash of comedy for good measure).

The plot follows a teen girl who must protect her younger brother from their own parents (Cage & Selma Blair) after mass hysteria takes over the country which triggers parents into taking the lives of their own children. It’s a novel concept that takes advantage of budgetary restrictions via logically taking place in only one location (mostly). It’s the ideal vehicle for an unhinged Cage performance.

6 Willy’s Wonderland (2021) – 5.5

• Stream on Hulu

Willy’s Wonderland works as a memorable Nicolas Cage horror movie. The film mostly succeeds because it’s a showcase for Cage, who gives a completely dialogue-free performance.

The actor plays Janitor, who is hired to clean up a Chuck-E-Cheese-type facility over the course of one night in return for having his car fixed. Unfortunately, the facility’s animatronic fluffy buddies are sentient and quite sadistic, leading to an all-out bloodbath.

5 Color Out Of Space (2019) – 6.2

• Stream on Shudder and AMC+

From RLJE Films (also responsible for Mandy) comes one of the best Lovecraft adaptations of all time, Color Out of Space. Lovecraft is notoriously difficult to translate to film, and this Cage movie brilliantly uses bright purple color tones to convey the existence of an ominous presence.

Cage gets to go a little late-period-Cage extreme, but this is overall a film where the visual ambiance is the selling point. Furthermore, any film that features both Nicolas Cage and Tommy Chong and is well-reviewed is worth seeking out.

4 The Frozen Ground (2013) – 6.4

• Stream on Netflix

Easily one of Cage’s more grounded films of the past decade, The Frozen Ground is a trivia-filled true crime movie. The best part of the film (along with the beautiful Anchorage-based cinematography) is Cage’s performance as state trooper Jack Halcombe.

Halcombe is on the hunt for serial killer Robert Hansen (Con Air co-star John Cusack, who also has been relegated to the same direct-to-video terrain). Vanessa Hudgens gives an impressive standout performance as the kidnapped Cindy Paulson.

3 Mandy (2018) – 6.6

• Stream on AMC+, Hoopla, and Shudder

In Mandy, Cage plays one half of a couple living in isolation. Soon, they’re terrorized by a biker hippie cult, leading Cage’s Red Miller to engage in a no-holds-barred revenge scheme in an effort to retrieve his beloved Mandy (Andrea Riseborough, delivering an excellent performance).

Mandy features Cage at his most unhinged, and it’s a joy to watch. It’s an intense performance that is certainly serious but can quickly flip into one of the funniest Nicolas Cage movie moments, such as when he’s screaming with rancor inside his bathroom, drenched in blood, and throwing his fists around haphazardly.

2 Pig (2021) – 6.9

• Rent on Apple TV

In Pig, Cage plays an Oregonian truffle hunter who has his prized truffle-finding pig stolen. It’s another understated performance in a recent line of them from the actor, and it’s very much the best of the batch. In fact, Pig contains what must be Cage’s best performance in nearly 20 years.

The majority of the runtime is devoted to the relationship between Cage’s Robin Feld and Alex Wolff’s Amir. The two actors have very strong chemistry that helps to bolster characterization and truly makes the audience believe their business relationship is not only real but also mutually advantageous/important in ways neither individual could imagine.

1 Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse (2018) – 8.4

• Stream on FXNow

Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse is both the most prestigious project in which Cage has taken part in the past 10 years as well as the most well-reviewed (by a substantial margin). Spider-Verse was a critical darling as much as it was a box office success as much as it was a riotous time at the movies.

Time will tell if the actor’s Spider-Man Noir will be a part of the MCU, but it’s not unlikely. A legitimate Spider-Verse is being set up, and this brilliant animated tale may have been a sneaky way into the door. Regardless, the possibility of Nicolas Cage in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is enticing.

About The Author

Ben Hathaway
(298 Articles Published)

Ben Hathaway is a Senior Writer (Lists) for Screen Rant. A former Therapeutic Day Treatment counselor, Ben is now a career writer. When not working, he is writing and self-publishing (on Amazon) novels under the name Scott Gray. In his spare time, he’s reading on the porch or watching every film under the sun. Ben can be contacted at [email protected].

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