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Nicolas Cage is one of the most active and well-known actors of today. Born in California in 1964, Nicolas Cage started his professional acting career in the early 1980s. Initially, he used the name Nicholas Coppola but changed it because he didn't want to get an advantage thanks to his relation to the famous director Francis Ford Coppola.
Cage went on to appear in dozens of movies of different genres, was nominated for two Oscars, and won one of them for his role in Leaving Las Vegas (1995). But considering the extent of Cage's filmography, there are multiple underappreciated movies that his fans should pay more attention to.
5 Birdy (1984)
Considering the fact Nicolas Cage has been acting since the 1980s, some of his earliest movies aren't as well-known nowadays. The psychological war drama Birdy is one of them. Cage and Matthew Modine play two friends who return from the Vietnam War and have to deal with what they experienced there, each of them in his own way. The movie dives deep into the minds of the characters which allows Cage and Modine to show their acting range.
Based on William Wharton's book, Birdy creates an atmosphere different from other Vietnam War movies, one that feels almost dream-like at times. The movie currently has 23 thousand ratings on IMDb, much less than Cage's best-known work. Despite the fact that Birdy is good proof that Nicolas Cage can pull off various genres, not just comedy and action.
4 Moonstruck (1987)
The theme of a love triangle is popular in romantic movies. Moonstruck focuses on a young widow Loretta (Cher) who decides to get married again but even though she's engaged to Johnny (Danny Aiello), she's more drawn to his brother Ronny (Nicolas Cage). From there on, the situation gets even more complicated, and it's interesting to see what will happen, and how will Loretta decide in the end.
All three actors in the leading roles give strong performances, and Cher even won an Oscar for the part. The chemistry between the characters works and the movie is both funny and touching at times. It became the second most commercially successful romantic comedy of the 1980s, but isn't as known nowadays, since it has only 58 thousand ratings on IMDb.
3 Wild At Heart (1990)
David Lynch is a well-known director with a unique style. Despite his popularity, not every Lynch movie has a very high number of ratings on IMDb. With under 100 thousand ratings, Wild at Heart is one of the lesser-known ones... and Nicolas Cage plays the leading part in it. Cage stars opposite Laura Dern. They play a couple, Sailor Ripley and Lulu, who go on a road trip together to escape Lulu's mother and encounter many strange people and situations on their journey. Just like in other Lynch's movies, it's difficult to guess what will happen next which keeps the audience invested.
Cage and Dern form a strong duo together, and the supporting actors (such as Willem Dafoe, or Dianne Ladd) also don't disappoint. Wild at Heart is an untraditional road movie, yet it's more accessible than other Lynch movies, making it an ideal story for those who want to get to know the director's work better and haven't seen anything from him before. An interesting detail is that Nicolas Cage not only plays in the movie but also sings in it as well!
2 Red Rock West (1993)
Nicolas Cage has appeared in multiple action movies but Red Rock West didn't draw as much attention to itself as Cage's other action pieces. Cage stars as the war veteran Michael who's trying to find a job. Luck smiles at him when he arrives in the little city of Red Rock where they confuse him for a different man and offer him a job. The only problem is that the job Michael's supposed to do includes killing someone.
The characters are unpredictable and not always sympathetic, which makes it even more interesting to watch what they'll do next. The movie has a western-like atmosphere at times, but some fans also compared it to the work of the Coen brothers which is as good a recommendation as any. Whatever the inspiration sources, Nicolas Cage gives yet another solid performance in the leading role, and it's easy to cheer on him and wish Michael success since he's just trying to do the right thing for the most part.
1 The Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent (2022)
Unlike other Nicolas Cage movies, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent has yet the chance to become better known as it's the actor's latest movie and not everybody has had the time to watch it just yet even though they might have planned to do so. With currently over 11 thousand ratings on IMDb, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is one of the overlooked movies in Nicolas Cage's filmography. The actor once again proves he has a sense of humor and isn't afraid to make fun of himself as he stars as Nick Cage in the movie, his alter-ego. In the movie, Nick Cage is in debt, has a problematic relationship with his daughter, desperately longs to appear in a Quentin Tarantino movie... and he also becomes a secret agent for the government.
The movie doesn't take itself seriously and has the power to surprise the viewers with its plot twists and turns as well as make them laugh. Nicolas Cage is enjoying his role and the rest of the cast is excellent as well, such as Pedro Pascal, who creates an unforgettable buddy duo with Nicolas Cage. With the current rating of 7.6, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is one of Nicolas Cage's best recent movies, and no fan of the actor or comedies, in general, should miss out on watching it.