Con Air (1997)

During the late 90s, Nicolas Cage had a string of big action films that solidified his name as an action star.

These films are The Rock, Con Air, and Face/Off.

While we could easily talk about any of these films, today we chose Con-Air. Not only is it considered one of the best action films of the 90s, it also has some of the best Nic Cage gifs out there.

No conversation about the film is complete without mentioning the incredible cast.

Nic Cage is enough to draw people to the theatre, but this film goes above and beyond.

John Malkovich, John Cusack, Danny Trejo, Steve Buscemi, Ving Rhames, and even Dave Chapelle!

But what’s better than just seeing all these faces on screen is watching them absolutely put everything they had into their characters.

Even though this movie is completely over the top, each actor takes their role seriously and completely leans into the energy of this movie

For example, according to the film’s director, Simon West, the scene of Steve Buscemi with the little girl in the trailer park was so intense that people walked out of the test screening and it had to be cut down.

How awesome would it be to see that cut of the movie??

Cage does an amazing job playing Cameron Poe, a prisoner who has finally gotten parole and is on his way to see his daughter whom he’s never met.

Except he’s flying home on a fortified plane filled with the most dangerous criminals on Earth. And they’ve just hijacked the flight.

It would be easy for such an emotional storyline to get lost in all the action and spectacle that ensues, but Cage is able to keep that emotion at the forefront of his character.

We never lose sight of his motivation to see his daughter. Sure, some of that is due to the director and screenwriter, but it’s really Cage who does the heavy lifting.

Cage is able to convey such love and hope for his daughter in everything he does and says. At its core, this movie isn’t about the action, it’s about a father fighting for connection with his daughter.

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