The 5 Most Off-The-Wall Nicolas Cage Performances

Eddie in Deadfall (1993)

This crime movie is directed and co-written by Christopher Coppola (brother of Nicolas Cage) and features Cage in a supporting role. The plot follows a con-man (Michael Biehn) as he tries to rectify the bad situation that has arisen from his accidentally killing his father (James Coburn), while dealing with his father’s dangerous twin brother (Also Coburn).

Nicolas Cage plays Eddie – himself a dangerous character – but his performance is one that almost exists within its own little movie. Allegedly given the freedom to shape the character as he saw fit, Cage turned Eddie into a man of unwieldy affectation. He altered his speech pattern to a bizarre, fluctuating southern-drawl – generally delivered through gritted teeth – and voluntarily donned an incredibly strange wig that seems to change the shape of his face entirely.

Watching Cage as Deadfall’s Eddie is a fascinating experience, as the actor seems to insert emotional reactions into scenes that have no bearing on the plot whatsoever. The fact that his role is a supporting one makes his efforts quite distracting from the film as a whole – however, taken by itself, this performance is one that begs to be studied and examined from an academic standpoint, if only to understand the interesting range of choices Cage committed to the screen.