Eccentric actor Nicolas Cage reveals what he believes may be his best film. Cage's filmography has seen its ups and downs over his 40-plus years of acting, with his career going back to the early 1980s. He won an Academy Award for his performance in 1995's Leaving Las Vegas, the bleak story of a man intent on drinking himself to death. Cage was nominated again in 2002 for his dual roles in Adaptation, though he didn't win, and he received praise for his portrayal of himself in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. However, his career has seen many lows over the years, with numerous critically panned films, like Left Behind and Pay the Ghost.
In a recent interview with Rampstyle magazine, Cage discussed what he thinks is his best film. While speaking about the versatility of certain actors, he mentions that his love is in Indie films. Cage then notes that he recently rewatched his 1999 film Bringing Out the Dead, remarking, "that might be the best movie I ever made." Check out Cage's comments on his best film below:
"[Indie movies are] my true passion, movies like Pig or Leaving Las Vegas or Joe. Bringing Out The Dead – I saw that recently. I have to say that might be the best movie I ever made."
Why Nicolas Cage May Be Right About Bringing Out The Dead
Bringing Out the Dead had a lot going for it when it was released in 1999. The film is directed by Martin Scorsese, who was reteaming with screenwriter Paul Schrader. Their previous collaborations spawned classics like Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, and The Last Temptation of Christ. The cast also included Cage in the lead alongside Patricia Arquette, John Goodman, Ving Rhames, and Tom Sizemore.
Critics and audiences seemed to agree about Bringing Out the Dead's quality, with both scores in the 70% Fresh range on Rotten Tomatoes. However, audiences didn't turn up at theaters, with the film making just over $16 million on a reported budget of $55 million. Still, just because the film bombed doesn't mean Bringing Out the Dead is a bad movie. In fact, many fans of the film loved Scorsese getting back to his New York roots with a bleak character study akin to his early work in movies like Taxi Driver. For Scorsese fans, the movie is often seen as an overlooked gem that deserves more attention.
Given that Bringing Out the Dead didn't make much of a splash at the box office, many are discovering the film late, even regarding it as one of Cage's best performances. And while Cage has higher-rated movies, like Moonstruck, Raising Arizona, and Red Rock West, Bringing Out the Dead is tragically underrated by many, with others even unaware of its existence. So while Bringing Out the Dead never received its proper due, Cage knows that even now, the film is deserving of attention.
Source: Rampstyle