Cage/Off Round of 16 – Part One

We continue our quest to find out which is the greatest Nicolas Cage performance.

Here commences the round of 16 – 8 ties that will bring us to the quarter finals of this long, drawn out process to find out which is the greatest Nicolas Cage film of all 52 that I watched in 2023.

Many people have attempted to define which is the greatest Nicola Cage film of all time. It is a feat made ever more difficult by the fact that the guy doesn’t stop, and in the last five years, we’ve seen some of his greatest performances. 5 of the films of the remaining 16 are from this decade. Longlegs, released this year isn’t included here, being too new, but is another that showcases Cage’s incredible range. The Surfer, scheduled for 2025 looks to be utterly unhinged, and there’s still talk of sequels to Lord of War, National Treasure, and Face/Off in the pipeline.

So, what’s the criteria here? We’re not simply looking at which is the better film. Neither is it which is the best Cage performance. It’s that combination of character in context. Cage going crazy without cause is unlikely to end up winning the Cage Off. What we’ve seen so far, many of the films that work best involve a relatively normal character pushed to the brink… and then exploding.

You can check out the full range of ties in the round of 16 preview, or go all the way back to the start to take a look at how we started this 52-film Cage/Off.

Bringing Out the Dead vs Moonstruck

I’ve heard Cage say in an interview that Bringing Out the Dead is one of his favourite performances, and that it’s a film he feels was overlooked. Moonstruck, on the other hand, won Cher an Oscar. Moonstruck probably contains a more memorable moment across the two films with Cage’s speech the first time we meet Ronny Cammareri as he yells, fake arm aloft, “I lost my hand! I lost my bride.” It’s certainly a memorable appearance. Bringing Out the Dead is a little more understated. If anything, some of Cage’s fellow paramedics draw more attention, with Tom Sizemore acting particularly wildly.

They’re very different films, too. We’re really not comparing two things which are at all alike. It’s mortality versus marriage. And while Moonstruck Cage is worth watching, he’s simply not on the screen nearly as much as Frank Pierce in Bringing Out the Dead. The brooding depression and hopelessness of Frank Pierce is mesmerising as he continues to go about his business trying to save the lives of others when he feels worse than death himself. Goodbye Ronny Cammareri. Bringing Out the Dead has been zapped by the defibrillator and carries on into the quarter finals.

Vampire’s Kiss vs Dream Scenario

How did two kooky films like these end up facing off against each other? Both are pretty divisive. I’ve seen both come in for a fair bit of criticism and also heralded with a huge amount of praise, but which will make the quarter finals?

This is a really difficult decision. In many ways, Vampire’s Kiss is the ultimate Cage/Off film. We have a rather dull and boring character in Peter Loew, who, early on thinks he is bitten by a vampire bat. The rest of the film is them mayhem as he becomes more and more unhinged. If you’ve ever watched a compilation of Cage’s wildest moments, multiple parts of this film will be in there from his famous rendition of the alphabet to his declaration that he is a vampire, slurred through fake plastic teeth.

Dream Scenario is likely to feature in such montages in the future too, though. We have the very normal rather dull Paul Matthews whose life is suddenly turned upside down when everyone starts dreaming of him. We then get the future iconic images of him stomping through a room, teeth clenched, or wearing Freddy Krueger’s glove.

Dream Scenario is probably the better movie, but Vampire’s Kiss escalates further and further into anarchy. The end of Dream Scenario peters out somewhat, while the plot of Vampire’s Kiss is ridiculous from the start.

Vampire’s Kiss would beat a lot of the other films in this round, I have no doubt. There’s something a little more rounded about Dream Scenario, though. We have the madness within the dreams and the changes to Paul Matthews as this infamy affects his life so dreadfully that tips it just beyond the reach of Peter Loew’s vampiric antics.

Lord of War vs Pig

The choices this round don’t get any easier, do they? Again, we have two very different films, two very different characters, and two great performances. Both films are amazing, and have a supporting cast that contribute to the films’ success, too.

So, what’s good about Lord of War? It’s a rags to riches story about the charismatic Yuri Orlov, and the fortune he makes in the arms trade. It pulls no punches in presenting the horrors caused by weapons. It’s a horrible world, and Cage presents Yuri Orlov as a character who can more than hold his own as he works his way to the top. Cage is compelling as the arms dealer, and I hope we get to see him reprise his role in the rumoured sequel, Lords of War.

What about Pig, then? Well, Pig sees Cage play Rob, and someone took his pig. This pig is, supposedly, great at hunting truffles. It’s how Rob makes his living now, living in the wilderness. As the film develops, we come to understand the life he had before he became this recluse. Rob is willing to put himself through anything to get his pig back, and we see him, a beaten man, and we slowly come to understand why this pig means so much to him. It’s brutal, and it’s beautiful. It surprised me the first time I watched it, knowing nothing of the premise. On second watch, it was every bit as engaging, more so, knowing what was coming.  

Lord of War is a brilliant film, but here it falls to the even more brilliant Pig.

Renfield vs The Weather Man

After three tight contests, this one will take much less deliberation. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a lot to like about The Weather Man. David Spritz is the kind of guy you like to see him by fast food. He doesn’t entirely deserve it, but you can understand it. He’s simultaneously a success and a failure, and that’s appealing. He ends the film parading around with a bow and arrow. That’s cool. Don’t we all aspire to that? (The film also includes Michael Caine doing a truly awful American accent – look it up and thank/curse me later.)

In Renfield, however, Nicolas Cage plays Dracula in exactly the way you’d expect Nicolas Cage plays Dracula. It’s like Nicolas Cage has consumed every Dracula performance in history and turns out his own version, turned up to eleven. He’s brilliant. However, the film is called Renfield. Dracula’s number one servant gets the majority of the screen time. This does allow Cage to completely overdo it whenever he is on screen though, but this limited screen time may well leave him at a disadvantage when he faces a tougher test in the quarter finals.

Do you agree or disagree with any of these choices? Leave me a comment, below.

Think you could work out the Cage movie based upon an AI poem? And could you make your way through a maze as Renfield, collecting cheerleaders and nuns for Dracula en route? If so, check out The Unofficial and Unauthorised Nicolas Cage Puzzle Book.