Nicolas Cage's VOD Era Produced Some Of His Best Performances
Nicolas Cage's VOD era may have resulted in plenty of maligned movies, but it also saw the star give some of his varied, unique performances. Cage began his career in the early '80s and quickly gained a reputation for his flamboyant and quirky performances, seen in the likes of Peggy Sue Got Married or Raising Arizona. Following his devastating turn as a self-destructing alcoholic in 1995's Leaving Las Vegas, Cage made a strange shift to become an action movie star with the likes of Con Air. Face/Off is one of his most beloved movies from this time, where his dual performance got to see him go both wildly over the top while also having more tender scenes.
Sadly, by the late 2000s, Cage often attached himself to projects of dubious quality, such as Next or the needless remake of Bangkok Dangerous — which had a bizarre, happy alternate ending. After a string of studio movies such as Ghost Rider: Spirit Of Vengeance underperformed, Cage largely moved away from mainstream filmmaking toward VOD movies. This was due in large part to losing the fortune he had acquired and owing the IRS and other creditors millions of dollars. Instead of filing for bankruptcy, he eagerly accepted VOD projects and often made up to four movies a year in a bid to pay off his debts.
Related: Every Nicolas Cage Horror Movie, Ranked
In a 2022 GQ interview, Cage clarified that while not all of these VOD movies worked, he never "phoned" in a performance. In truth, many of these Nicolas Cage video-on-demand movies are total duds, from the interminably dull Pay The Ghost to the poorly reviewed thriller Grand Isle. However, it's true that even in the worst of this period, Cage NEVER just phones it in. In fact, this era contains some of Nicolas Cage's best
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