The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent
100 words or less:
I don’t care if you think Nicolas Cage is the greatest actor ever or the worst actor ever, watch this movie. It was amazing and had something for everyone. There is action, comedy, and romance… well bromance. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this movie and unfortunately, I don’t think it is on many people’s radars because we are used to the mediocre movies that Nicolas Cage has put out in recent years, but this one is definitely different.
Full Review:
As far as I know this movie is probably going to go down as a failure, with a budget of $30 million and as of writing this, an estimated $28.4 million box office. Which is a shame because this was one of the most enjoyable movies this year so far that I have seen. Going into the movie with low expectations I was laughing out loud in an empty theater by myself. I can only imagine what it would have been like in a full theater.
The plot is a little ridiculous. A down on his luck Nicolas Cage (played by Nicolas Cage of course) decides to take an offer for $1 million to attend a rich guy’s birthday party (the rich guy played by Pedro Pascal) while stating to his agent he is retiring after. He then befriends the man who turns out to be a drug lord who kidnapped the daughter of a foreign politician who is against the drug trade in their country. Nic Cage is then recruited by the CIA to help them recover the girl and betray his new best friend.
It is a ridiculous movie that turns the old buddy cop movie formula on its head by having the buddy cops be on opposite sides of each other. The concept is ridiculous, and it works because ridiculous is what comes to mind when you think of Cage’s recent theatrical ventures. But this one has a charm to it that draws you in and makes you pull not only for Cage, but also for the Pedro Pascal’s character because you have the same doubts about him that Cage does throughout the plot.
I don’t want to talk much else about the movie or moments in it because I truly believe that it is worth a watch for everyone and doesn’t deserve the title of a failure. I really do believe that in a few years, this one will gain the “cult classic” status of movies where it wasn’t truly appreciated when it came out but grows in popularity, especially if it gets onto a streaming service with a good subscriber base.
9.5/10 Nic Cage wax statues.
