Summary
AmongNicolas Cage’s many prolific movies, one film with a 97% Rotten Tomatoes score was marketed as aJohn Wickrip-off but, confusingly, it is anything but.Nic Cage has an astonishing 120 different acting credits throughout his 43-year run, starring in multiple productions per year. He has made a name for himself over the years by delivering a wide range of roles and, although someNicolas Cage movies are not always the best, he is untethered to one particular genre. WithCage’s upcoming moviesranging from action to drama to horror, the award-winning actor appears immune to typecasting.
In 2021, Nic Cage starred in an American drama film calledPig,which was highly praised. As the feature directorial debut of Michael Sarnoski, who has since directedA Quiet Place: Day One,Pigfollows the story of an ex-chef turned reclusive truffle-hunter, Rob Feld (Cage), who returns to Portland to search for his kidnapped foraging pig. The movie won multiple awards and has highly favorable reviews despite its $3.9 million box office barely trumping its $3 million budget. However,Pigwas originally marketed as a different genre of movie altogether, rather than the anti-revenge movie that it actually is.
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Nicolas Cage’s Pig Was Marketed As A John Wick-Style Movie
Rob Feld and John Wick Share Similarities
Pig’spremise soundslike aJohn Wick-style movie, with Nic Cage hunting down those responsible for stealing his beloved pig, and the marketing leaned into that.John Wickhad this exact premise in its first film, with John hunting down the people responsible for killing his beloved dog, which was gifted to John after his wife’s death. Further similarities can be seen in the two main characters.Both John and Rob live a quiet and reclusive life, far from their action-filled past, following the death of their wives, and use a pet as a way to cope with the loneliness.
The theatrical release poster forPigstars an unkempt Nic Cage cast half in shadow, glaring at its viewer, with the title overlaying the image in an intricate and spaced-out font. The poster looks like it’s for a horror movie, or at least a film with a dark story, due to the intensity of its design. Furthermore,Pig’sofficial trailer starts with a calm opening which is suddenly disrupted by the violent kidnapping of Cage’s pig, and the rest of the trailer features a dramatic soundtrack which accompanies tense scenes from the movie. However,Pig’sposter and trailer are misleading.
Pig Was Anything But An Action Movie
Nic Cage’s Movie Is Surprisingly Emotional
Cage’s character spends the majority of the film looking defeated, as opposed to the glaring attitude featured onPig’sposter, and he has no interest in the people who took his pig, only worrying about getting it back.
Despite the movie’s marketing,Pigis anything but an action movie. The American drama is fairly mellow, aside from the one scene in which the kidnappers take the pig, as Nic Cage doesn’t go on a revenge mission at all. Cage’s character spends the majority of the film looking defeated, as opposed to the glaring attitude featured onPig’sposter, and he has no interest in the people who took his pig, only worrying about getting it back. Furthermore,Pig’sbittersweet endingfurther emphasizes that it is not an action movie due to the emotional way in which Rob reacts.
Pig’sending may be disappointing to viewers expecting a change from the heavy, brooding plot that blankets the entire film, as it is revealed that the pig died due to the thieves. Earlier in the film, Rob reveals that he doesn’t need the pig to forage for truffles as he is capable of finding them himself, however, he loves the pig for its companionship. Therefore, with its death at the end, Rob is devastated. Although the pig itself doesn’t get much screentime,Pigis undoubtedly one of thebest animal movies, due to the pig’s prominence to the movie’s emotionality.
Pig Is One Of Nic Cage’s Greatest Performances And Maybe His Most Emotional
Nic Cage Says Pig Is His Best Movie
Pigis perhaps one of Nic Cage’s best performances due to its emotional nature. In fact,Nic Cage revealed his top movie recommendationthroughout his entire career isPig, explaining how the movie can resonate with a wide range of people.The movie explores the themes of loss and identity through an interesting premise, beyond the usual scope of drama movies, and Nic Cage delivers. His vulnerability in the role of Rob was praised by critics, proving Nic Cage’s ability in his less-explored genre. However, it’s just a shame that the film’s budget couldn’t provide larger recognition forPig.
Pig…. [I]t’s something that I think people can get something out of, because tragedy is going to hit all of us at some point. It’s just a matter of when. It’s also a movie that to me is like a folk song. It’s a very quiet, gentle movie… I’d never done anything like that before, where I felt like I got close to putting a meditation on camera, or a haiku.
Pigearns the film’s 97% score on Rotten Tomatoes partly because the genre sets it apart from Nic Cage’s usual movies; Nic Cage’s roles are set in a variety of genres, but often have a reputation for absurdity, forming the origin of many memes. However, the serious American drama explores the effects of grief in Rob’s character arc, andNic Cage’s unusually somber performance makesPiga surprisingly emotional watch. Therefore, fans ofNicolas Cageshould look to his other movies, such as 2023’sThe Retirement Plan, for theJohn Wick-style action moviethat people expected fromPig’smisleading marketing.
Pig
Cast
Starring Nicolas Cage, Pig centers on a truffle hunter in Oregon who returns to his former home in Portland to track down his beloved pig that was stolen from him. The drama mystery was directed by Michael Sarnoski, who would go on to direct the Quiet Place spinoff titled A Quiet Place: Day One.
