Nicolas Cage has made so many movies over his 30-year career, including the new "Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance" (2012), it is easy to forget he earned critical acclaim for many of them. His ability to play quirky characters with conviction earned him two Academy Award nominations and one win. Here are the best of Cage's most memorable, oddball roles.
"Valley Girl" (1983)
Cage burst onto the scene in a memorable role in this comedy about high school angst and the teenagers afflicted with it. He plays a punk city boy, a little rough around the edges, who takes a chance on dating a girl from the suburbs. Cage surprised many by showing off some impressive acting chops in this romantic-comedy.
"Moonstruck" (1987)
Cage's breakthrough role as Ronny Cammareri, in love with Loretta Castorini (played by Cher), is eccentric, over the top, and brilliant in every way. When he tells the story of how he lost an arm and later insists he wants Loretta in his bed "now," neither she nor the audience can resist him for long. Part of a formidable ensemble in this film, Cage holds his own in a truly hilarious performance.
"Honeymoon in Vegas" (1992)
In this uneven comedy, Cage holds the movie together as a desperate man who tries to win back his fiancée by jumping out of a plane dressed as Elvis. Filled with Elvis music and fantastic settings in Vegas and Hawaii, "Honeymoon" is worth watching if only to see all the sky-diving Elvis impersonators at the end. Cage makes it all goofy fun with another charming performance filled with angst and romance.
"Leaving Las Vegas" (1995)
The flip side of "Honeymoon in Vegas," this is a serious film about a suicidal alcoholic who decides to end it all with one last binge. Cage is superb in an emotional part about a man who cannot escape his addictions, even when he meets up with a heart-of-gold prostitute (played by Elizabeth Shue) who wants to save him. Cage won the Oscar for Best Actor in 1996 for his performance in "Leaving Las Vegas."
"Adaptation" (2002)
In this Spike Jonze mind-bender, Cage plays twins who compete with each other to write screenplays, except one of them isn't real. The actor again puts in a fantastic effort, the audience rewarded with a really great performance in this film within a film. This is the second movie for which Cage was nominated for a Best Actor Academy Award.
"Matchstick Men" (2003)
Ridley Scott's movie about con men is filled with twists and turns. Cage plays an obsessive-compulsive grifter with a nervous tic and agoraphobia. When he finds out he has a daughter just prior to pulling off a big job, the con artist forms his first real relationship but is overcome by his neuroses.
In "Matchstick Men," Cage is witty, amusing, and completely strange. It doesn't get any better than that for fans of the quirky actor.
"Lord of War" (2005)
Cage manages to pull off a sympathetic portrait of a successful arms dealer in a morally ambiguous profession in this film. He becomes wealthy, finds love, and causes tragedy wherever he goes. Cage's acting covers the range from funny to quirky to powerful in this ultimately tragic and insightful film.
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