Nicholas Cage has had one of the most strange careers in Hollywood history. His status as an Academy Award winner has often been questioned with the career decisions he has made. He has shown his acting prowess in many movies ("National Treasure" has a nice place in my heart and he was hilarious in "Kick-Ass") Although recently he's mostly been in it for the paycheck. However in a long stretch of garbage that has become his filmography he delivers one of the best performances in his long and bizarre career.
As the title character, Cage plays an ex-con who the audience knows has serious demons even before the movie sheds light on them. His violent interactions, (sometimes caused by him, sometimes not) with other characters movie suggests a messed-up history. At the same time his character is a good role model when necessary to a 15 year- old boy who needs one. Cage does excellent what a brilliant actor should do, he makes us believe he's that character and not an actor playing him. When he delivers a freak-out it's not Nicolas Cage freaking out, it's Joe freaking out.
Tye Sheridan is superb as this character Gary, who must provide for his family, since his father is an alcoholic and violent sociopath who lives of son and often beats him. He has an excellent work ethic, which Joe admires and takes him under his wing in his business cutting down dead trees.
As an actor Sheridan has shown great strength in these indie films like the similar Matthew McConaughey film "Mud" (both films take place in the deep South and both have him paired with an A-list actor). In this film he carries a presence that is both youthful and with his own demons. Since he grew up in a world without a father figure he always feels the need the man up as seen with a number of violent altercations he gets into.
The film is excellently shot and depicts the Southern natural landscape and bleak and brutal filled with bleak and brutal characters. Another performance that stands out is Gary Poultar as Gary's violent father (who alas died soon as the film was made). We don't believe that he's a actor acting and indeed apparently he was a real homeless man in his only acting part. The rest of the cast were also non professionals and I'm not surprised. In capturing realism, it's often best to use real people and not actors.
As the two main characters Joe and Gary bond, Joe develops protective instincts toward him especially against his father. This touching bond eventually evolves into a climax that while I certainly won't give anything away, it is satisfying. However at the same time, especially looking back after I saw the movie, I thought this turn was a bit predictable.
Nonetheless this is a movie if you want to see why Nicholas Cage deserves to be an Oscar winner. The sad thing is this doesn't seem to be a continuing trend for him. His next films happened to be "Left Behind" and his career doesn't seem to look bright after that.
As the title character, Cage plays an ex-con who the audience knows has serious demons even before the movie sheds light on them. His violent interactions, (sometimes caused by him, sometimes not) with other characters movie suggests a messed-up history. At the same time his character is a good role model when necessary to a 15 year- old boy who needs one. Cage does excellent what a brilliant actor should do, he makes us believe he's that character and not an actor playing him. When he delivers a freak-out it's not Nicolas Cage freaking out, it's Joe freaking out.
Tye Sheridan is superb as this character Gary, who must provide for his family, since his father is an alcoholic and violent sociopath who lives of son and often beats him. He has an excellent work ethic, which Joe admires and takes him under his wing in his business cutting down dead trees.
As an actor Sheridan has shown great strength in these indie films like the similar Matthew McConaughey film "Mud" (both films take place in the deep South and both have him paired with an A-list actor). In this film he carries a presence that is both youthful and with his own demons. Since he grew up in a world without a father figure he always feels the need the man up as seen with a number of violent altercations he gets into.
The film is excellently shot and depicts the Southern natural landscape and bleak and brutal filled with bleak and brutal characters. Another performance that stands out is Gary Poultar as Gary's violent father (who alas died soon as the film was made). We don't believe that he's a actor acting and indeed apparently he was a real homeless man in his only acting part. The rest of the cast were also non professionals and I'm not surprised. In capturing realism, it's often best to use real people and not actors.
As the two main characters Joe and Gary bond, Joe develops protective instincts toward him especially against his father. This touching bond eventually evolves into a climax that while I certainly won't give anything away, it is satisfying. However at the same time, especially looking back after I saw the movie, I thought this turn was a bit predictable.
Nonetheless this is a movie if you want to see why Nicholas Cage deserves to be an Oscar winner. The sad thing is this doesn't seem to be a continuing trend for him. His next films happened to be "Left Behind" and his career doesn't seem to look bright after that.