12 Nicolas Cage Movies You Must See

Nicolas Cage has appeared in so many movies that it's difficult for a numbers-challenged person like me to count them all. But it seems as if "The Surfer" -- released on May 2, 2025 -- is something like his 125th movie.  Yikes!  No wonder he often seems keyed-up onscreen.  Does the guy ever take a break?

In honor of this milestone, I dug out my wide-ranging 1994 interview with Nic, which you can hear -- along with some of his surprising revelations -- on I Couldn't Throw It Out. 

To assess the Nic's career, I got help from my friend Ty Burr -- author of the terrific movie newsletter Ty Burr's Watch List and former culture critic for the Boston Globe.  

With so many films in the Nicolas Cage filmography, it's difficult for new fans to decide which ones to see.  So I ask Ty to share his list of the Nic Cage classics that you must stream.

Here are his picks, adapted from his comments in the podcast episode.

The Top Two

1.  Vampire's Kiss (1989)

"It's one of the great Nic Cage over-the-top performances, and it's an incredibly misunderstood movie. It's not about a guy who becomes a vampire. It's about a guy who is having a psychotic breakdown and thinks he's becoming a vampire. It's a really moving performance.  It's also a movie that you could probably accurately say torpedoed his career, the first one where people kind of backed off and said, "What the hell is this guy doing?" The movie has actually become much more appreciated over the almost 40 years since it's been out. We come to it now with an understanding of what the character is going through in a way that we didn't when it came out."

(Side note:  If you're a fan of Vampire's Kiss co-star Jennifer Beals, check out the excruciatingly embarrassing interview with her on I Couldn't Throw It Out.)

2.  Knowing (2008)

"I'm not saying it's a good movie but I adore it because it's completely insane. It's kind of like a version of National Treasure on acid, where he plays a genius mathematician who figures out that this thing they unearth from a time capsule has predicted every disaster and will predict upcoming disasters.  And then the aliens get involved.  It's great. It's completely stupid.  He plays it with a completely straight face.  Like he's playing, you know, Moses in The 10 Commandments. I just enjoy it so much because it's the most preposterous movie I've ever seen."

Others You Should Watch

1. Raising Arizona (1987)

"He is so funny in this movie.  It's a reminder of his comic gifts. A brilliant piece of slapstick from the Coen Brothers."

2.  Moonstruck (1987)

"He plays a very very credible romantic lead. With a wooden hand."

3.  Wild At Heart (1990)

"Another extreme performance.  And in a good way."

4.  Leaving Las Vegas (1995)

"This is a case where he'll take a part that fits what he wants to do with it, and he'll remind you that he's an incredibly skilled actor.  It's a straight role in that it doesn't call for him going over the top and doing all sorts of crazy physical business. He took seriously what the movie was about and approached it as a realistic performance and it works. The general consensus was that he deserved the Oscar [which he won, for Best Actor], that he deserved the admiration of his peers. It's a tough performance in a not-easy film."

5.  Bringing Out The Dead (1999)

"A very good little-known Martin Scorsese movie about ambulance workers in New York City."

6.  Face/Off (1997)

"One of his best action movies, where he and John Travolta play this incredibly multi-layered game of 'I'm going to pretend to be you' that goes completely out of control."

7.  Adaptation (2002)

"Writer directors who are ambitious and have unusual projects can approach him and he can meet them on their own terms.  And the double role he plays in Adaptation[directed by Spike Jonze] is an example of that."

8. Bad Lieutenant, Port of Call New Orleans (2009)

"A highlight of both [director] Werner Herzog's career and Nicolas Cage's career.

9.  Pig (2021)

"It's a really really good movie."

10.  Long Legs (2024)

"One of those neo-horror films where he was the boogeyman and got great, great reviews for his performance."

So what are you waiting for?  Start watching -- after you listen to the  Nicolas Cage episode of I Couldn't Throw It Out, of course.