(26th April 2022)
It was inevitable. During a career that has spanned over four decades, his face has frequently adorned the front covers of GQ, Esquire, and Time. Those features have been a mainstay of the meme world for years. Annoyed at a talkative colleague? Send em’ the ‘You Don’t Say’ meme, the ultimate expression of sarcastic interest. Feeling zen, calm and controlled? Just take a look at the Con Air meme, where a long-maned Cage basks in the sunset of a successful day. It was only a matter of time until a few of these multi-layered faces received their own movie, with Cage front and centre.
In his latest film, Nicolas Cage stars as the character Nick Cage (a character who Nicolas Cage has been keen to stipulate is a different enigma from his audacious self), whose recent ambivalence towards acting almost encourages him to leave his profession behind, until he becomes embroiled in a CIA operation to spy on drug lord Javi (Pedro Pascal). While there’s plenty of easter eggs for the Cage aficionados to enjoy, there are also shout outs for other cinematic classics too; waxing lyrical about the virtues of The Cabinet of Caligari and the ingenuity of Paddington 2, Javi and Nic prove to be men of fine taste. Unfortunately, one of the sequences which finally convinced Cage to get on board with the project (he turned down the film three times), involving Caligari-esque vignettes, was ultimately deleted. Let’s just hope that scene makes it onto the DVD extras.
Cage’s extensive filmography provides a wealth of opportunity for comedy and drama, and while the self-referential acting movie is nothing new (Being John Malkovich and JCVD have already supplied parodic narratives about their central stars), Massive Talent nonetheless provides novel, poignant moments within its comedic structure. When Nic arrives at the enthusiastic Javi’s mansion, the iconic pool scene from Leaving Las Vegas (arguably Cage’s career highlight in terms of its critical success, winning him a Best Actor oscar) is filmed almost shot for shot as a depressed Nic immerses himself in water while drinking beer, before Javi swims to his rescue. Pascal brings a genial warmth to a character that could easily have slipped into stereotype, and manages to make his own mark in a film that could have potentially been eclipsed by a certain character’s, well…massive talent. A side story about Nic’s broken relationship with his teenage daughter falls slightly flat by comparison, but is nonetheless anchored by the colourful language and withering responses of Nic’s long-suffering wife Olivia (Sharon Horgan).Violence and carnage predominate in the film’s third act, and while this change of pace might be off-putting for those unfamiliar with Cage’s work, for the initiated, you’d be insulted if there was anything less high octane than women being randomly punched (The Wicker Man), peaches being seduced (Colour Out of Space), or chainsaws being wielded like swords (Mandy). If you embrace the madness, you’ll be richly rewarded. And if not, prepare to meet the menace of the sarcastic Cage meme.