Nicholas Cage in Next

Nicholas Cage.

For some that name screams talent, energy, empathy, and rough good looks. For others it’s merely another way to spell “unoriginal.” Nick has done many things from chick-flicks, to action, to super-hero, to character sketches (yuck). But through it all he remains Nick Cage, bringing the good and the bad to dinner. Yes, he’s been known to patent his style and over-produce it; occasional redefining the phrase “in a rut,” but then other times wows us with a performance that leaves us wondering what muse of fire descended on his bright heaven of invention?

In Next he was better than average . . . he was pretty darn good.

On a purely aesthetic level I appreciated his new look. Though it’s reminiscent of Tom Hanks in The DaVinci Code, it worked well for him. From an acting standpoint I don’t think he did his best work, but bye-golly he sure performed better than he did in Ghost Rider.

Unlike his flaming, chain-toting vigilante, this character rang true, especially under the circumstances he was faced with. Much like in City of Angels where Cage had to become a very ethereal character, Nick handled the uniqueness of his role without succumbing to cliched motivations. No one living truly understands the pressures of knowing everything that might happen in the next five minutes. The tri-persona strain that would put on a man would drive some insane, others into a life of crime, and others into monastic solitude. His performance choices are to be applauded.

Of course the writing was very good . . . that’s like giving a blue-ribbon thoroughbred a five minute head-start. He worked the script like a pro and played against his co-stars like the seasoned vet he is. Speaking of co-stars . . . are there any beautiful women he hasn’t played opposite of?

To bring this to a close, I will say that, though this wasn’t his best work, the movie was extremely pleasing. It was written well, acted well, directed well, shot well, and probably “everything-elsed” well I can think of.

Though I won’t rub my autographed-photo of Nicholas Cage on my head before every play I’m in (well, okay maybe sometimes), I will say I look up to him for the model he exemplifies and the motivations he explores.