If someone asked you to name Nicolas Cage's best movie, what would you respond? Adaptation? Face/Off? Raising Arizona? Well, Netflix just added his second-highest-rated movie to its UK library, and you can stream it now.
This movie is actually Pig, from 2021, which might surprise some streamers. But with 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, it has his joint second-highest score, just behind Red Rock West and shared on 97% with Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
Pig was a surprising shock when it came out. The trailer made it seem like a dark comedy John Wick knockoff but viewers were startled to watch a slow and meditative thriller, and it was hailed by many as one of the best movies of 2021. In our Pig review we gave it four stars out of five.
The movie is about a hermit who lives in Oregon and ekes out a living by using his pig to hunt for truffles. When said pig is kidnapped, he has to travel to Portland to retrieve her, where he has to confront his past.
You can see where the John Wick comparisons come into play — instead of Keanu Reeves avenging a pet, it's Nicolas Cage retrieving one — but it's actually more of a drama with thrilling and comedy elements.
Netflix subscribers don't need to take my word for it, though, as you can easily watch it now. If you live on the US you can watch it on Paramount Plus (with its Showtime tier) or for free on Kanopy if you have access to that.
Nicolas Cage's filmography is defined by extremes, and looking at his Rotten Tomatoes rankings shows that he has just as many hits as stinkers. And fans of the stars have learned that sometimes his most fun roles are those which aren't as well-received by the critics
But of those nearly 120 movies (which, I should point out, includes one he's just a producer on), Pig is literally the second best (while it's joint with Spider-Man, he's not the star of that, while he is of Pig). That goes to show that it's definitely worth a watch, and if you are a cynic about Rotten Tomato ratings, then know that the audience score is also pretty high at 84%.
