“Prisoners of the Ghostland” Theatrical Poster
Director: Sion Sono
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Sofia Boutella, Ed Skrein, Tak Sakaguchi, Bill Moseley, Nick Cassavetes, Yuzuka Nakaya, Young Dais, Koto Lorena, Jai West, Cici Zhou
Running Time: 103 min.
By Henry McKeand
When talking or writing about Nicolas Cage, the word “extreme” inevitably comes up. In some ways, it has defined his career, leading to a perhaps unfair reputation as an overactor. This reputation, coupled with memes and viral videos and a glut of direct-to-video sludge necessitated by his own poor financial planning, led to Cage becoming a punchline for legions of uninspired internet humorists. Recently, thanks to roles in films such as Mandy, Color Out of Space, and Pig, Cage has rebounded from this career low point. Even his most gonzo performances are being reappraised by those who once wrote him off as a one-note has-been. Recently, his celebrity image and brand of extreme, expressionistic acting, which he calls “Nouveau Shamanic,” were reclaimed by the self-referential The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, in which he played a version of himself. It seems that Cage has found power in leaning into the joke.
For those (this writer included) who view him as one of the greatest film stars of all time, this is mostly a good thing, but the Cage renaissance is not without its caveats. Because, by embracing his wide-eyed Wicker Man image, Cage runs the risk of losing a piece of what once made his career so special: down-to-Earth likeability. His admirers often talk about his electric work in Bringing Out the Dead and Wild at Heart, but his greatest trick was always his ability to dial it back Continue reading
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