Trust me, Nicolas Cage deserved to win an Oscar for this movie

No 1 has experienced a renaissance rather similar Nicolas Cage. After astir a decennary of straight-to-DVD failures and Hollywood schlock (Left Behind really should person been near behind), the 60-year-old histrion has clawed his mode backmost to A-list status, churning retired prime films arsenic though his beingness depended connected it.

That’s not adjacent an exaggeration. During the past 2 years Cage has been successful 8 movies, astir of which had decent theatrical runs. He has played a serial killer, a vampire, a prof and an assassin-turned-beach-bum. He was adjacent nominated for champion histrion astatine this year’s Golden Globes, astir repeating his occurrence astatine the 1996 Golden Globes, erstwhile helium won for his relation successful Leaving Las Vegas (for which helium besides won his archetypal and lone Oscar).

Cage fending disconnected slayer singing robots? What much could you want?Credit:

During this “Cage-aissance” I’ve fallen down a rabbit spread searching for the eventual Nic Cage experience. Was it during his action-hero days, erstwhile helium swapped tegument with John Travolta in Face/Off? Or has helium peaked much recently, arsenic the cagey (I’m sorry), dream-intruding world successful Dream Scenario? These are undeniably large films, apical contenders among different stellar Cage movies. But if you’re searching for the epitome of his magic – the je ne sais quoi of his acting prowess – you request lone look successful 1 place: Willy’s Wonderland.

This movie flew nether the radar. Initially scheduled for a theatrical merchandise successful 2020, it was shunted to streaming successful 2021 arsenic a effect of the pandemic. It follows a nameless antheral (Cage) who takes connected a janitorial occupation astatine a run-down household edifice to wage for his damaged car. Unbeknown to him, the establishment’s animatronic characters are possessed by the souls of a cannibalistic slayer and his 7 psychotic followers – and they’re retired for blood.

The crippled unsocial is capable for me. Cage fending disconnected slayer singing robots? Spectacular, springiness maine 14 of them close now. I’m alert immoderate whitethorn disregard it arsenic a knock-off of the Five Nights astatine Freddy’s video game, which, successful galore ways, it is. The determination and premise are intimately mirrored, and the graphics successful Willy’s are astoundingly glitchy. But what does Willy’s person that Five Nights doesn’t? Cage.

Cage bleeds charisma successful each movie. It’s the crushed wherefore incredibly elemental dialogue, similar “put the bunny backmost successful the box” from 1997’s Con Air, is inactive quoted today. What makes Willy’s basal retired successful peculiar is that Cage doesn’t utter a azygous connection passim the film. Nameless and voiceless, his carnal charisma does each the talking.

This is astir evident during the pinball creation interludes. Yes, determination are aggregate scenes wherever Cage takes breaks from cleaning and throttling animatronics to portion his aptly named “Punch” foodstuff and play pinball with shocking life-or-death intensity. While warring demonic ostrich robots he’s cool, calm and collected. While playing pinball (clearly his affectional outlet) he’s sweating, dancing and grunting. Audiences are ever saying actors request much range. That is range.

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Pulling disconnected a pb soundless role, peculiarly 1 driven by what is fundamentally a rip-off of an existing storyline, is nary casual feat. Yet Cage does it with specified gravitas that you simply can’t instrumentality your eyes disconnected him. Even erstwhile 1 of the animatronics has its spine ripped out, a la Mortal Kombat, each I spot is Cage, covered successful robot lipid “blood”, lifting it up similar a trophy.

Unlike Five Nights, Willy’s besides knows erstwhile to telephone it quits. All the villains are unambiguously killed disconnected by the end, leaving nary escaped ends to beryllium twisted into a sequel. It’s a perfectly self-contained story, 1 that doesn’t effort to imbue the pb quality with immoderate drawn-out traumatic motivation. Cage arrives, cleans, kills, picks up his car, and leaves. It’s not pretending to beryllium thing different than what it is, which is simply a silly, but bloody good, time.

Cage is simply a Hollywood chameleon. He seamlessly jumps successful and retired of vastly antithetic roles portion inactive someway maintaining that undefinable yet instantly recognisable Cage energy. This vigor is connected hyperdrive successful Willy’s. He whitethorn not person won an Oscar for it, but helium surely won my heart.

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