Nicholas Cage is a great actor who was almost destined to become a Hollywood star. He was born in Long Beach, California in the famous Coppola family. His uncle is director Frances Ford Coppola, but Cage changed his name when he got into the movie business because he didn’t want the last name Coppola to precede him. After Cage changed his name, he had a string of movie hits in the ’80s and ’90s that made him a household name.
Cage has appeared in over 100 films, dating back to the early ’80s when he was a young, eager teenager trying to break through. He has admittedly made movies just for the paycheck, as he got into debt in the 2000s and had to work to get back on track financially. Still, Cage’s early work shines through and viewers around the world look forward to his films. These films brought Nicolas Cage to where he is today and have become classics in the eyes of many people.
10 Fast times at Ridgemont High
Fast times at Ridgemont High is a classic coming-of-age comedy that came out in 1982. It follows several teens as they navigate high school and try to figure out what they want to do when school is over. The movie is widely known for the character Jeff Spicoli (Sean Penn), a stoner who likes to surf and act crazy in history class.
In the film, Nicolas Cage plays a friend of Brad’s (Judge Reinhold), and the two work together at a fast food restaurant called All-American Burger. Fast times at Ridgemont High is one of Cage’s first film credits – only he didn’t get his stage name. He is credited as Nicolas Coppola when the film was made before taking the surname Cage.
9 Raising Arizona
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In Raising Arizona, Nicolas Cage stars as HI “Hi” McDunnough, a convict who takes up an attractive offer from the police named Edwina, or “Ed”, (Holly Hunter) during his arrest. Later, when Hi and Ed get together, they discover that they cannot have children, so they decide to steal one. The film is directed by the Coen brothers and follows their exciting crime caper style.
Raising Arizona was one of the first films to show that Nic Cage was capable of starring in a major Hollywood movie. The film was a critical and commercial success, grossing over $29 million at the box office on a modest budget of $5.5 million. It is also often cited as one of the best films by the Coen brothers.
8 hit by the moon
hit by the moon is considered the movie that brought Nicolas Cage into the mainstream. Directed by Norman Jewison, the film follows Cher as Linda Castorini, a superstitious widow in New York who believes her first husband died because they didn’t follow tradition. When Linda’s boyfriend proposes to her, she hesitates and her true feelings are revealed. Instead, she falls for her fiancé’s younger brother, Ronny (Cage), and the two eventually end up together.
hit by the moon was a huge success, earning six Academy Award nominations. Cher won the Best Actress award for her portrayal of Linda. It is an original and funny film that changed Cage’s career path forever. After that, he had a strong string of memorable 90s movies in many different genres.
7 Leaving Las Vegas
Leaving Las Vegas is probably Nicolas Cage’s best film. It is based on the 1990 novel of the same name by John O’Brien. In the film, Cage plays Ben Sanderson, an alcoholic who moves to Las Vegas to drink himself to death after losing his job and family in Los Angeles. Ben soon meets a prostitute named Sera (Elizabeth Shue) and the two talk instead of having sex. Sera accepts Ben as he is and stands by his side when he inevitably dies.
On a limited budget Leaving Las Vegas didn’t have the money to close the Vegas strip so it was filmed during real scenes. Director Mike Figgis encouraged the actors to do firsthand research for their roles. Figgis also says that Cage was not paid for his role in the film, even though it was one of the films that made him very famous.
6 The stone
When you think of classic 90s action movies, The stone immediately comes to mind. Directed by action buff Michael Bay, the film is about a group of ex-military mercenaries who take control of Alcatraz Island. The rebels take guests hostage and demand $100 million to distribute to military families whose loved ones have been killed on covert missions. It’s up to FBI agent Stanley Godspeed (Cage) and a team of other FBI specialists to rescue the hostages.
The stone is a fantastic action movie with a great cast that includes Ed Harris, Sean Connery and John C. McGinley. The movie crushed it at the box office, taking in $355 million on a $75 million budget. Cage was already a household name when the movie came out in 1996, but The stone cemented his legacy as a bona fide action star.
5 Con air
With the success of The stone, it seemed impossible for Nicolas Cage to make another memorable action film. Then, in 1997, he starred in Con air. Cage plays Cameron Poe, a parolee who is on a flight to freedom to meet his wife and daughter. On the way, the plane is hijacked by a group of prisoners trying to escape. Led by criminal mastermind Cyrus “The Virus” Grissom, the con artists attempt to evade capture and take a flight to another country.
Con air helped make Nic Cage a star by making him a likeable character that audiences can’t ignore. Poe is an ex-army man and with family values and an undying love for his daughter that will make you cry. With a great storyline, excellent acting and explosive action sequences, it’s not surprising Con air is one of the greatest escape films in history.
4 Face/Off
Face/Off is a John Woo action movie with an interesting premise. It is a science fiction film about an FBI agent named Sean Archer (Cage) who has an experimental face transplant performed to go undercover. He takes on the role of psychopath Castor Troy (John Travolta) to get information about the location of a bomb belonging to Troy’s brother.
Despite its far-fetched and slightly silly premise, Face/Off was another big hit for Cage. The film made $245 million in theaters and was even nominated for an Academy Award for Best Sound Editing. Cage was at the height of his fame in the late ’90s, and Face/Off is one of his most memorable films.
3 Snake eyes
In 1998, Nicolas Cage decides to roll the dice Snake eyes. Cage stars as Detective Ric Santoro, an Atlantic City police officer who attends a nighttime boxing match. After one of the contestants is supposedly knocked out, gunfire rings out in the arena, alerting Detective Santoro that something isn’t right. He discovers that the fight has been rigged and tries to find out who is in charge of the plan.
Snake eyes is one of the best Brian De Palma movies. It is full of the Nicolas Cage quirks and expressions that many fans know today. The film debuted at no. 2 at the box office when it was released, and it became a cult classic.
2 Gone in 60 seconds
In 2000, Nicolas Cage stepped on the accelerator Gone in 60 seconds. Cage plays Memphis Raines, a reformed car thief who finds himself sucked back into the lifestyle when his little brother Kip (Giovanni Ribisi) needs help. To save Kip’s life, Raines and his shady friends must steal 50 cars in 72 hours. However, one car escapes Memphis. It’s a 1967 Ford Shelby GT 500 that he was never able to successfully steal.
As the name implies, Gone is 60 seconds is a great car chase movie. It pushed Cage’s trajectory into the new millennium and introduced him to a new audience that hadn’t grown up with his popular films of the ’80s and ’90s. It was also one of the movies Angelina Jolie broke out in, who plays Memphis’ old flame Sara in the film.
1 National treasure
For Nic Cage fans, National treasure is an absolute gem. It’s an action-adventure movie starring Cage as Benjamin Franklin Gates, a treasure hunter who everyone thinks is crazy for believing in an old family legend. With the help of his love interest Dr. Abigail Chase (Diane Kruger) and trusty sidekick Riley (Justin Bartha), Gates follows a series of clues until he decides he must steal the Declaration of Independence before it falls into the wrong hands.
If this all sounds crazy, that’s because it is. National treasure is not known for its deep plot of clever dialogues, but for its thrilling action sequences and sense of humour. The film rolls with ridiculous punches and rewards the viewer with a fun film that can only make you laugh.