Today we’ll be focusing on the first four ties in the top left hand corner of the draw. New to the Cage-Off? Find out more here.
Wow. What a fantastic bunch of films and Cage performances and characters went up against each other here! There was non-stop action and a lot of intensity. A lot of intensity. But which films in the top half of the left-hand side of the draw will reach the next round? All shall be revealed below.
Tie One
Bringing Out the Dead (1999) VS Drive Angry (2011)
Paramedic Frank Pierce VS Hell escapee John Milton. Martin Scorsese’s haunting exploration of the depression associated with holding the responsibility for life and death VS Patrick Lussier’s action-packed frenzy. The supporting cast of Patricia Arquette, John Goodman, Ving Rhames and Tom Sizemore VS Amber Heard and William Fitchner (who, in fairness, is brilliant in this.
These are such different roles and really show the ridiculous range in the types of films and the types of characters Cage has played. One of the films is a lot of fun. It’s not Bringing Out the Dead. Even comparing the titles highlights the significant difference between these two. The title, Bringing Out the Dead suggests the futility of trying to save a life – ultimately the role of the paramedic in this gloomy outlook is to simply bring out the bodies. The other film is called Drive Angry. It’s about a man who drives and who is angry.
All things considered, though, Drive Angry is a good laugh. Cage’s Milton is intense in his mission for revenge. Fitcher’s Accountant is cold in his pursuit. I don’t know if this is damning something with faint praise, but this film is arguably Amber Heard’s best role. It’s entirely silly, ultimately predicable and yet I had a lot of fun with it. Regardless, Bringing out the Dead is a superior film. Cage’s performance is superb. The structure, with Cage’s paramedic Frank on shift with three very different paramedics allows for an exploration of different approaches to the what’s an incredibly tough job. It’s a film that deserves more credit, and a film that thoroughly deserves its place in round two.
Goodbye, Drive Angry; you were fun, but ultimately beaten by a film operating in an entirely different class.
Tie Two
Moonstruck (1987) VS Ghost Rider (2007)
Ronny Cammareri VS Johnny Blaze. A one-handed baker VS a motorcycle stuntman bound to an ancient demon. A romantic comedy VS a superhero action fest. Cher won an Oscar for her role in Moonstruck and Nicolas Cage was nominated for a Golden Globe. Ghost Rider was nominated for no awards, though its sequel was up for two Razzies. But which film will reach the last 16 of the Cage-Off?
Cage’s introduction in Moonstuck is one of his most iconic scenes as he slams around baguettes and cries, ‘I lost my hand. I lost my bride.’ There was no way that kind of intensity could last. It wouldn’t make sense for the character to remain that way throughout. Alas, the more sedate Ronny lacks the same fascination. Plus, the bulk of the film is based upon Cher’s character, Loretta Castorini, so we don’t get a whole lot of Cage.
In Ghost Rider, we get plenty. Cage clearly enjoys playing the part of Johnny Blaze – but he’s replaced by the CGI skull in all of the scenes in which he is taken over by his demonic form. Also, in comparison to later super hero films, it hasn’t aged particularly well. Ghost Rider takes on increasingly more menacing bad guys until he takes on the big bad. This feels like one that had the potential to be a whole lot more fun, but fell a little short.
Essentially, this comes down to a contest of moments. Unquestionably, Cage’s transformation scenes in Ghost Rider are awesome. Smoke pours from his eyes and his face contorts before we get the screaming, oh so much screaming. But while it’s a somewhat dated romcom, the moments in Moonstruck are that bit more interesting. Again, Cage as a strange regular guy eclipses supernatural Cage, and Moonstruck moves on while Ghost Rider is eliminated.
Tie Three
Vampire’s Kiss (1988) VS Raising Arizona (1987)
Peter Loew VS H.I. McDunnough. Bat-bitten literary agent VS baby-stealing ex-convict. Black comedy VS crime comedy. Unlike the previous two ties, this time the films at least feel like the belong in the same sphere, but which will be victorious?
When you watch those videos featuring Nicolas Cage’s craziest moments, it’s highly likely to feature moments from Vampire’s Kiss. His whole performance as a man who thinks he is turning into a vampire comes across as unhinged, from his strange accent, his barking out the alphabet to his poor therapist, and his assault on a club with his fake vampire teeth. The scene in which he purchases the fake teeth is absolutely one of the weirdest and funniest moments in the history of cinema. It threatens to get too silly in places, but Cage embraces it all so wholeheartedly that it just seems right.
Raising Arizona definitely appeals to a similar type of comedy and is typical of much of the Coens’ comedic works. There are plenty of quirky characters and outlandish scenarios. The plot rockets along at a fair pace, and unlike Vampire’s Kiss it has much more of an emotional appeal. The McDunnoughs are surprisingly sweet, which is perhaps not what you’d expect to say about a pair of babynappers.
Where Raising Arizona doesn’t match up to Vampire’s Kiss is in the intensity of Cage’s performance. While McDunnough is a fun character and his antics make for great entertainment, it’s impossible to take your eyes from Peter Loew, whether he’s leaping on the furniture in his office or sleeping under a makeshift settee-coffin in his apartment. I’ve read that Cage had little freedom to portray McDunnough as he wanted and had to stay very much within the Coens’ vision. In Vampire’s Kiss, it feels like Cage has been entirely let off the leash, and that’s why it moves into the next round and boots Raising Arizona out of the competition.
Tie Four
USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage (2016) VS Dream Scenario (2023)
Captain Charles McVay VS Paul Matthews. An American naval officer tasked with one of the most important missions in human history VS a mild-mannered professor suddenly thrust into the spotlight when me appears, inexplicably in people’s dreams.
USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage has such a bizarre plot, that it can only be based on the truth. If someone tried to pitch this without the history, they’d be laughed out. In summary, it’s the story of the ship which delivers crucial parts of the Hiroshima bomb. Which is then sunk. And the crew are besieged by sharks (you might remember Quint talking about this during Jaws). The Captain is then made a scapegoat in the courtroom drama of the final third. Each part is remarkable. In honesty, though, each part probably needs to be a different film, for the tone is so startlingly different. Throughout, Cage does a great job, playing McVay as a man desperately trying to do the right thing. There’s humility in the court scenes, and a real sense of injustice.
Dream Scenario couldn’t be more different in terms of tone and scale. It’s a tale of a man who has fame thrust upon him through no fault of his own. There’s no reason why this character starts to appear in people’s dreams. The absurdity of it leads to a very entertaining film, and one that reflects on current ideas about fame and the spotlight. Throughout, Cage plays Matthews with a quiet charm. We see his head turned by the spotlight before it all goes hideously awry. With there being a number of dream scenes, it also allows Cage to act in some very strange situations, stalking through scenes of great terror and becoming an absolute menace. The end, perhaps, doesn’t live up to all that went before, but we do get the massive Talking Heads suit, which is always welcome. This is very much a contest between unbelievable reality version quirky fantasy, and in this tie, quirky fantasy wins out, because who wouldn’t want Nicolas Cage to invade their dreams?
Our first four films have made it through to the round of 16 where they will pair up. Which films will make it to the quarter finals? Which one will reach the semis? Could the winner of the Cage-Off come from this part of the draw?
