What Keith's Watching: Joe (2014)

The last several years have seen the meteoric rise of Nicholas Cage jokes. Much of it is due to poor film choices like Ghost Rider, Knowing, Bangkok Dangerous - where he also played a surname-less Joe - and the National Treasure franchise. (For the record, I really enjoy Nic Cage in National Treasure, but the jokes write themselves.) But his latest, Joe, will hopefully usher in a fall of Cage jokes.

At it's heart, Joe is about a guy that lives by a code. He's had his problems, and tries to do the right thin, but may not always do it the right way. He knows he doesn't always do things the right way, but he's forced into action when he crosses paths with a young boy, Gary, and becomes an unlikely role model. It could be said that Gary is the past that Joe is wrestling with which is why Joe decides to get involved. He is the role model/hero he wished he had.

Joe reminds us of the fact that Nicholas Cage can act. It surpasses his other noteworthy performances like Bringing Out The Dead, Leaving Las Vegas, Raising Arizona, and Adaptation.

There is some patented Nic Cage yelling, but not as much as you'd expect. That Nic Cage yelling cadence is gone. Joe is a character with a haunted past and anger issues. Cage portrays this amazingly with many stoic pondering scenes. Perhaps he thought about his more recent choices in film to add some realizm.

Adding further disturbing realism to the film is Gary Poulter, who plays the role of the father. Poulter was a homeless man that was given the role by the director. His scenes are unsettling the way he acts towards his on-screen son and others for the pursuit of booze. (There is one particular scene that is disturbing, but extremely well done. I won't ruin it for those that have yet to see the film, but those who have, know what I'm talking about.) Given that Poulter was homeless and died before the movie's release, it's hard to say if he was acting or playing himself.

The other main character of the film is played by Tye Sheridan who provides another astounding performance as the adolescent foil in a follow-up to his performance Mud (which could be considered as a spiritual prequel to Joe.) Sheridan is quickly establishing himself as a new actor to keep an eye on.

I hope that Joe marks a turn in Cage's career and he heads back into stronger, more dramatic roles. I'd love to see Cage move away from cheap B-level action the way that McConaughey has slipped way from Romantic Comedies into a role in one of the best shows on TV.

The parallel now has me wondering: Has anyone considered Nicholas Cage for True Detective Season 2?