In a recent Reddit AMA, lauded actor Nicolas Cage revealed Bringing Out the Dead, Pig, and Leaving Las Vegas as the three movies of his he would pick to preserve for future generations.
Cage’s picks are likely to receive nods of approval from fans and critics alike, as the three films are considered to be among his greatest. Pig in particular was the film that Cage identified elsewhere in the AMA as what he feels is his best work.
Pig was released in 2021 and earned Cage a nomination for Best Actor at the Critic’s Choice Movie Awards. It sees the actor portray a forest-dwelling truffle hunter who must venture into Portland to rescue his kidnapped foraging pig.
Directed by Martin Scorsese, Bringing Out the Dead stars Cage as a deeply troubled paramedic living in New York City, haunted by his inability to save those that were lost. The film follows the paramedic over the course of three days as he seeks redemption.
Finally, Leaving Las Vegas tells the story of Ben Sanderson, a down-and-out alcoholic who plans to drink himself dead after moving to Las Vegas. When he arrives, however, he develops a relationship with a sex worker named Sera.
Given the actor’s storied career both in and out of Hollywood, one would think picking just three films would be a difficult task. The comments following Cage’s answer seemed to echo this, with many users noting the absence of films such as Adaptation, Lord of War, and Raising Arizona.
If you need even more Cage after watching those three films, he stars as a fictionalized version of himself in the upcoming action-comedy film The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. The film will release in the United States on April 22.