Picking out the best Nicolas Cage movie can be fairly challenging, given the fact that the Hollywood star has starred in a diverse array of films of varying merit. Nothing short of a cultural tour-de-force, Nicolas Cage has managed to acquire a dedicated cult following over the years, whilst winning various accolades including an Academy Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, and Golden Globe. However, when it comes to Cage, a string of offbeat roles granted him a bad movie streak. Seminal among these is Deadfall, Left Behind, and Pay The Ghost, among which the first two can be deemed as downright unwatchable.

Having said that, it is important to acknowledge that Cage is no stranger to portraying strong, complex characters, as evidenced in his revenge-fueled, yet pathos-inducing rendition of Red in Panos Cosmatos’ heavy metal valentine, Mandy. Underwhelming performances aside, there is a plethora of Cage films that deserve praise and consideration, maybe even a reconsideration in of their character analysis and overarching merit. When it comes to the best Nicolas Cage movie, the choices come in all shapes and sizes.

102 Deadfall (1993)

Nicolas Cage Plays Eddie King

Holding a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Christopher Coppola's Deadfall has been deemed a shallow attempt at mimicking the noir genre, as everything ranging from the plot and the characters can only be described as abysmal. Deadfall is a unique crime drama about con artist Joe Donan (Michael Biehn), who, after the death of his father, attempts to find a lookalike in order to carry out a sting operation. Cage plays the character of Eddie King, a role he would reprise in the 2017 film, Arsenal, which also bombed critically due to the clichéd nature of the narrative.

101 Left Behind (2014)

Nicolas Cage Plays Rayford Steele

Directed by Vic Armstrong, Left Behind is based on the eponymous novel by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, and stars Nicolas Cage, Chad Michael Murray, Nicky Whelan, and Lea Thompson. Left Behind has been bashed by critics and audiences alike, mostly due to the wide range of wooden performances, atrocious script, and overwrought pacing. Needless to say, Left Behind can be counted as one of the many films that have lent a considerable blemish to Cage's once-flourishing and commendable filmography.

100 Grand Isle (2019)

Nicolas Cage Plays Walter

Yet another massively underwhelming Cage film, Grand Isle follows a young man named Buddy (Luke Benward), who is charged with murder and must find a way to prove his innocence before it is too late. In this 2019 action thriller, Cage assumes the role of Walter, a hard-drinking Vietnam veteran haunted by a traumatic past. While Cage does belt out a satisfactory performance as Walter, Grand Isle, when scrutinized as an entity on its own, fails to hold up due to its weak plotlines, predictable twists, and incongruous ending.

99 211 (2018)

Nicolas Cage Plays Mike Chandler

Yet another abysmal direct-to-video offering, 211 is a crime-action film directed by York Shackleton. Set in the fictional city of Chesterford, 211 is a reference to the police code for robbery, as the film essentially follows a bank heist that goes horribly south. Nicolas Cage stars as the lackluster patrolman Mike Chandler, which does little to salvage an already muddled storyline and a virtually indistinguishable cast of characters. David Ehrlich of Indiewire went on to dub 211 as an "inept heist film", while most other critics slammed the film as disted and uninspiring.

98 Trapped in Paradise (1994)

Nicolas Cage Plays Bill Firpo

George Gallo's Christmas-themed crime comedy, Trapped in Paradise, stars Nicolas Cage as New York City restaurant manager, Bill Firpo, with Jon Lovitz, and Dana Carvey as the ing cast. The film garnered mostly negative reviews, although some critics and audiences attributed Lovitz's performance as one of the only reasons for the film's watchability factor. When it comes to Cage, he delivers a rather lukewarm performance, and Trapped in Paradise remains wholly unfunny and too on-the-nose with its goofiness and sentimentality.

97 Arsenal (2017)

Nicolas Cage Plays Eddie King

Steven C. Miller's direct-to-video action-thriller, Arsenal, sees Cage reprise his role as Eddie King from 1993's Deadfall, with Adrian Grenier, John Cusack, and Jonathan Schaech acting as ing characters. Even before diving into the nitty-gritties of Arsenal, it is almost impossible to ignore Cage's altered appearance — a mustachioed visage replete with gaudy prosthetics, complemented by an empty, manic energy brought into the role. Arsenal has been deemed by critics as too flashy, superficial, and try-hard, as neither the action sequences nor the miscast set of characters are able to invest anything meaningful into the film.

96 Outcast (2014)

Nicolas Cage Plays Gallain

Nick Powell's directorial debut, Outcast, follows young commander Jacob (Hayden Christensen) during the Crusades, who leads an army including Gallain (Cage) right into the heart of the slaughter of an Arab city, much to the distress of the latter. Outcast garnered generally unfavorable reviews, as the film was criticized for its inconsistent tone and genuinely befuddling performances, especially in the case of Nicolas Cage. While Outcast was praised by some critics due to its arresting visuals and well-crafted battle sequences, the odyssey, as a whole, was a complete letdown in many ways.

95 Tres (2011)

Nicolas Cage Plays Kyle Miller

Joel Schumacher's Tres stars Nicolas Cage and Nicole Kidman as the Millers, a married couple taken hostage by extortionists, also starring Ben Mendelsohn, Cam Gigandet, Liana Liberato, and Jordana Spiro. Although mainstream critics praised Kidman and Mendelsohn's performances, Cage earned a Razzie nomination for Worst Actor, although he lost to Adam Sandler for Jack and Jill. In of overall merit, Tres comes off as yet another unpleasant thriller with a stilted script and uneven pacing.

94 Bangkok Dangerous (2008)

Nicolas Cage Plays Joe

Written and directed by the Pang brothers, Bangkok Dangerous is a remake of the 1999 Thai film of the same name, with Nicolas Cage assuming the role of a professional freelance contract killer, Joe. Despite the remake receiving negative reviews from critics, Cage's performance in Bangkok Dangerous was praised for its refreshing understatedness. However, Cage's moody presence in this action-crime thriller is not enough for audiences to overlook its dull storyline and meandering pace.

93 Pay the Ghost (2015)

Nicolas Cage Plays Mike Lawford

Uli Edel's supernatural horror film, Pay the Ghost, follows Mike Lawford (Cage), a professor frantically searching for his son Charlie, who was abducted during a Halloween parade. The film stands at 10% on Rotten Tomatoes, primarily criticized for its generic storyline and sleep-inducing pacing. Unfavorably comparing it to Insidious, critic Brian Tallerico deemed Pay the Ghost as a "new low" for Nicolas Cage. While it does have a decent story under its hood, it is neither scary nor chilling and never pays off its promise.