Although he was once seen as somewhat of a laughingstock in the film community thanks to a series of memes — it didn’t help his case that he was featured in some truly terrible films during the decade at hand, and even before — American actor Nicolas Cage does have some legitimately impressive performances under his belt.
He’s undoubtedly starred in his fair share of critical and commercial successes. In the eighties, Cage debuted in the high-school-set comedy Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982). He then appeared in a couple of projects by Francis Ford Coppola, who’s actually his uncle. With Raising Arizona (1987) and Moonstruck (1987), Cage skyrocketed to superstardom. And in the nineties, he actually won the Academy Award for Best Actor thanks to his work in Leaving Las Vegas (1995).
But some of the most memorable roles of his career came in the 2000s. Sure, a few of these films aren’t exactly of the highest quality, but they do stand out as notable efforts from everyone involved nonetheless, be it fellow actors or behind-the-scenes creatives. All that said, these are the best Nicolas Cage movies of the 2000s, ranked.
8 National Treasure
From a general film fan’s point of view, there’s a legitimate argument that Cage’s role in National Treasure (2004) has gone down as the most recognizable of his career. It was a massive success at the box office, after all — spawning a sequel a few years later and even a recently announced television show. And overall, this original entry at hand even holds a decent degree of quality within its rather absurd plot.
Name value, too: on top of Cage starring as Ben Gates, this project features other talented thespians such as Diane Kruger, Harvey Keitel, and Sean Bean. Of course, its plot follows Gates as he attempts to steal the Declaration of Independence, working under the assumption that a treasure map of some lost Freemason loot can be found hidden on the backside of the famous document. And the result is an entertaining romp despite the project’s obvious qualitative shortcomings.
7 The Ant Bully
As far as animated films that aren’t made by Disney, Pixar, or DreamWorks go, The Ant Bully (2006) is a surprisingly solid outing from writer-director John A. Davis. And within its straightforward yet inventive plot is a myriad of charming characters that were voiced by some of the biggest names the entire industry has to offer.
On top of Nicolas Cage, the film also featured the likes of Julia Roberts, Meryl Streep, Regina King, Paul Giamatti, and Bruce Campbell. Several of those names were revered by critics for their work herein, including the performer at hand. And in the end, the star power of the voice cast along with an intriguing premise help land The Ant Bully here at number seven.
6 The Weather Man
Several titles on this list have gone down as overlooked as the years go by, and some even flew under the critical or commercial radar upon release. And with The Weather Man (2005) — directed by Gore Verbinski — it arguably lands on both ends of the underrated spectrum. Critics weren’t exactly impressed by its plot (a sort of dark comedy that follows Cage’s titular weatherman after he separates from his wife and children), nor were audiences lining up en masse outside their local movie theaters.
But they probably should have been on both accounts. Championed by several critics such as the famous Roger Ebert, the film at hand of course featured thought-out elements of filmmaking that resulted in at least some semblance of quality, whether you resonated with its story or not. And in the end, its darkly comedic focus on a relatively straightforward piece of conflict helps to land The Weather Man here at number six.
5 World Trade Center
Directed by Oliver Stone and costarring Michael Peña, what’s worth noting off the bat with World Trade Center (2006) is obviously the names of many talented actors and behind-the-scenes creatives associated herewith. Other well-known thespians were hard at work, too, such as Maggie Gyllenhaal and Michael Shannon. But the other element worth noting aside from the many wonderful performances in tandem with competent direction would have to be its visuals.
Although cinematographer Seamus McGarvey may not be among the more famous names that trade has to offer, the films he’s worked on behind the camera go down as some of the most well-known ever made. Take The Avengers (2012) in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, for example. You’ve surely heard of that blockbuster series. But he also facilitated the storytelling of more critically acclaimed projects like The Hours (2002) and Atonement (2007). With World Trade Center, his camerawork acted as a high-speed vehicle for an emotional plot. Based on the experiences of a few select NYPD officers during the attacks on September 11, in which they found themselves trapped underneath rubble from the titular complex of buildings. The result is an ultimately compelling narrative that comes in at number five.
4 Lord of War
After an opening scene with mesmerizing camerawork and well-written voiceover, Lord of War (2005) wanes a bit in terms of general quality. Yes, after just one scene. But that first sequence showcasing the inner workings of a bullet as Cage’s character Yuri Orlov rattled off statistics of firearm sales and gun violence in America is truly one for the history books. And of course, none of this is to assert that the film itself isn’t worth the watch — just that, after its opening scene, audiences were expecting fireworks until the film’s final frame.
As an international arms dealer, the aforementioned protagonist portrayed by Cage was inspired by numerous real-life people of the same trade — primarily one named Viktor Bout. And although critical consensuses and mediocre money made in theaters may imply a product of equal quality, those numbers don’t suggest the true filmmaking mastery at work here from Andrew Niccol, who both wrote and directed the film. In the end, there’s no doubt about it: Lord of War should go down as one of the best Nic Cage movies of the 2000s, if not his filmography in general.
3 Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans
The most underrated film on the list — at least, from a point of view of financial success — Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (2009) didn’t even make half of its $25 million budget back at the worldwide box office. And that’s in spite of fantastic reviews from critics – it currently holds an 86% “Fresh” approval rating on critical consensus website Rotten Tomatoes, and even landed on the top ten lists of several industry pundits.
It features Cage in the lead role alongside Eva Mendes — the former portrays a drug-and-gambling addicted detective in New Orleans following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, while the latter plays his love interest. And the result is a frankly strange narrative from start to finish that somehow works wonders in the end. Definitely check this one out if you haven’t seen it already.
2 Matchstick Men
Although its name value has waned in recent years, Matchstick Men (2003) remains among the highest quality films from English director Ridley Scott. It goes down as absolutely essential viewing for fans of the actor at hand, too — Nicolas Cage stars as Roy Waller, a conman who has a severe case of OCD and becomes conflicted with his morals as his daughter slowly gets involved with his line of work.
Of course, he has a partner, too: Frank Mercer, played by Sam Rockwell to just as brilliant a degree as Cage’s portrayal of Waller. The two actors shared a dynamic rapport alongside Allison Lohman as Alison, the aforementioned daughter of Roy. And again: Matchstick Men has gone down as highly underrated from a modern standpoint to an absolutely unjust degree. Its quality should be more highly regarded — it ultimately lands the project here at number two.
1 Adaptation
Filmmaker Charlie Kaufman should without a doubt be known as one of Hollywood’s foremost creatives of the twenty-first century. Here, he acted as the screenwriter, while the final product was directed by Spike Jonze. And they proved to be a match made in heaven once again after having worked together three years prior on Being John Malkovich (1999) with its equally intriguing premise.
And with regard to Adaptation (2002), it features Nicolas Cage in a dual role as twin screenwriters struggling to adapt a novel called The Orchid Thief. And he performed just brilliantly herein. Plus, the ensemble supporting cast consisted of talented and popular names like Meryl Streep, Chris Cooper, and Tilda Swinton, just to name a few. And the zany part even garnered the performer at hand a Best Actor nomination at its respective Academy Awards ceremony, along with both the BAFTAs and the Golden Globes. He came up short across the board, but his efforts in tandem with Kaufman’s inventive script and Jonze’s competent directing means that Adaptation undoubtedly tops the list.