‘We don’t get a lot of things to really care about…’
When I heard that Nic Cage was starring in a film about a guy living in the woods who has his pig stolen and must venture into the city to get it back, I was fully expecting a John Wick/Taken style revenge flick with plenty of opportunities for Cage to shout a lot and glare into the camera. And I was all in for that. What I got instead was a beautiful meditation on grief and loss in which not a single punch is thrown. I genuinely can’t think of another film that has defied my expectations as much as this one…
Robin Feld (Cage) is a gruff, hobo looking guy living in the woods in a shack. He makes his money using his prize pig to sniff out truffles that he then sells to fancy restaurants. When the pig is stolen, Feld enlists the help of his restaurant hook up Amir (Alex Wolff) to help find her. That’s the basic premise, there is a lot more going on under the surface here, but I would urge anyone to go into Pig with as little prior knowledge as possible.
Cage’s later career has seen the natural evolution from action movie star to schlocky B movie maestro, and this transition has mostly been a joy to behold. Films such as Color Out of Space and Mandy have ensured that Cage is doing way more interesting work than many of his 80s and 90s contemporaries, but that is not what is happening here. This is a genuine performance. People should have been talking about Oscars for the masterful turn that Cage puts in here. Director Michael Sarnoski (who shares a co-writing credit with Vanessa Block) takes a film that is ostensibly about a missing pig and turns it into something heartfelt, warm and emotional. Three things that this movie has no right being.
Wolff provides able support, as does Adam Arkin as Amir’s father and restaurant kingpin Darius, but this is the Cage show every step of the way. But not in the way we have become accustomed to. This is a thoughtful, expressive performance, subdued even, one of the most quietly effective and meditative of Cage’s long and storied career.
If this is to be Cage’s last truly great film then it’s a wonderful way to sign off, but at 58-years-old and with plenty of films in preproduction, don’t bet against this being the start of yet another Nicholas Cage renaissance. Elsewhere, Sarnoski is slated to direct the third instalment in the Quiet Place franchise. Exciting times ahead.