Every so often there comes an actor that changes the face of the world with their performances. Marlon Brando, Robert Deniro, Tom Hanks, and many others have solidified their names in history with award winning performance after award winning performance...save one. Let's face it though, none of them have s*** on Nicolas Cage.
Who knows how the magic surrounding the nephew of the great Francis Ford Coppola fully developed over time, but one can guess it started around the same time he won his first (and only) Oscar with Leaving Las Vegas. Since then it's been a whirlwind of films varying in praise across the board. While the numbers didn't always justify the effort, no one can ever doubt Cage's dedication to a role. I believe Roger Ebert said it best in an essay about his film Adaptation:
"There are often lists of the great living male movie stars: De Niro, Nicholson and Pacino, usually. How often do you see the name of Nicolas Cage? He should always be up there. He's daring and fearless in his choice of roles, and unafraid to crawl out on a limb, saw it off and remain suspended in air. No one else can project inner trembling so effectively.... He always seems so earnest. However improbable his character, he never winks at the audience. He is committed to the character with every atom and plays him as if he were him."
His ability to show the rage of a man at a breaking point is unlike any experience in film.
His impact on pop culture has spurned many memes, cult followings, music and a petition to the White House requesting a remake of The Avengers with every character replaced with him. Of course we can't forget about the artwork provided by such fan pages such as As Outras Faces De Nicolas Cage...
And the music...can't forget about the music.
What other actor could have such a dedicated/obsessed fan base through years of good and bad movies? Not many come to mind...except maybe...
Think again.