Nicolas Cage is back in theaters as the horror-comedy Renfield released Friday, April 14. Cage stars alongside Nicholas Hoult as the latter tries to rebel against his undead boss for better working conditions. It has received mixed reviews overall — it sits at 62 percent on Rotten Tomatoes — but one thing has been unanimous: it’s Cage at his peak Cage.
As Cage said in an IGN interview as part of the Renfield press tour, “I think you’re going to get ‘Full Cage’ on this.”
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Full Cage is all that you could ever want from the 59-year-old actor. There’s no one that does unhinged yelling about bees or stuffed animals or swapping faces than Nicolas Cage, so let’s take a look at his most Full Cage movies.
This is a very scientific ranking (read: I did it on a whim and based on my feelings), so please treat it as such.
WARNING: Some of these clips may have language that is NSFW.
8
Spider-Man Noir (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse)
“Sometimes I let matches burn down to my fingertips just to feel something, anything.”
Cage was such a delightful surprise in what is arguably the best Spider-Man content ever created. Unfortunately, it seems like he won’t be in this summer’s sequel, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
7
Ben Gates (National Treasure series)
“I’m going to steal the Declaration of Independence.”
Every line delivered by Nicolas Cage in the pair of National Treasure movies is pure art. Never has a man named Benjamin Franklin Gates been so dang serious talking about old timey treasures and the glasses of Founding Fathers.
Absolutely no notes. Give us the third one, Jerry Bruckheimer. Please.
6
Stanley Goodspeed (The Rock)
“Look, I’m just a biochemist. Most of the time, I work in a little glass jar and lead a very uneventful life. I drive a Volvo, a beige one. But what I’m dealing with here is one of the most deadly substances the earth has ever known, so what say you cut me some FRIGGIN’ SLACK?”
If you’re still not sure what Full Cage is, please let this clip from The Rock where he defeats a bad guy by using a rocket to shoot him out a window speak for me.
5
Memphis Raines (Gone in 60 Seconds)
“I just stole fifty cars in one night! I’m a little tired, a little *wired*, and I think I deserve a little appreciation!”
There’s a lot that I could say about Gone in 60 Seconds and Full Cage, but once again, the best evidence is in the clip.
4
Edward Malus (The Wicker Man)
“OH, NO, NOT THE BEES! NOT THE BEES! AAAAAHHHHH! OH, THEY’RE IN MY EYES! MY EYES! AAAAHHHHH! AAAAAGGHHH!”
Fourth honestly might be too low for this 2006 movie. It’s unhinged from start to finish and involves Nicolas Cage yelling at women, punching people, wearing a bear costume and just generally losing his cool at all times. A completely wild flick, and you should watch it immediately.
3
Castor Troy (Face/Off)
“OOOEEEE, you’re good lookin’! You’re hot!”
I couldn’t begin to describe what happens in this movie, but it involves a medical procedure that puts Nicolas Cage’s face on John Travolta and vice versa. Wait, no, that pretty much covers it. Anyway, hijinks ensue, and things devolve quickly.
If you need more proof of the Full Cage aspect of this movie, please note that this scene is so early in the movie that the opening credits are still happening.
2
Nicolas Cage (The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent)
“Is that supposed to be me? It’s grotesque. I’ll give you 20,000 for it.”
If you haven’t seen this movie yet, stop what you’re doing and go watch it right now. We’ll wait. Ok ready? The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is one of the most fun flicks to come out of 2022, and not enough people are aware of it.
Nicolas Cage plays himself as he navigates trying to find work and balance a family life. He stars opposite Pedro Pascal, who plays Cage fan and aspiring screenwriter Javi, and it’s perfection. Most likely, you’ve at least seen a snippet of it as a scene where they’re driving while on hallucinogens as it has become a wildly popular meme.
1
Cameron Poe (Con Air)
“Put the bunny back in the box.”
If you’re looking for the perfect Full Cage movie, it’s hard to go wrong with Con Air. It has drama, intrigue, excitement, a power ballad by LeAnn Rimes and/or Trisha Yearwood and John Malkovich holding a gun to a stuffed animal. Watching Con Air is like stepping off a bus in a white tank top with a cool breeze ruffling through your stringy hair: perfection.
