The 10 best Nicolas Cage movies of all time - RANKED

Nicolas Cage is one of the most prolific actors of his generation and has starred in well over 100 movies.

The iconic star has kept himself fresh over the years by combining big-budget epics like The Rock and Con Air with smaller productions like Leaving Las Vegas.

The Most Memorable Casino Scenes in Modern Cinema

Monday 31 August 2026, 14:17

How Casino Stories Continue to Influence Modern Crime Films

Monday 31 August 2026, 14:16

In the 1990s he went on a stunning run of winning the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in Leaving Las Vegas before becoming an unlikely action star, starring in three consecutive movies that would make any action star worst their salt jealous - The Rock, Con Air and Face/Off.

He is certainly prolific with the amount of work he gets through and that has certainly led to some duds, but he is enjoying a mini renaissance at the moment - not that he ever really needed one.

Within our MovieMeter community, there are naturally various Nicolas Cage movies that have received hugely positive responses. By subscribing to become a member of the MovieMeter community HERE, you can rate all of your favourite movies - and some of your least favourite ones.

The first two movies on our list are ones in which Cage plays a supporting role - Kick-Ass and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse respectively.

Interestingly, those are the only two movies on the list that are part of a franchise.

In third is Face/Off, while Leaving Las Vegas and Adaptation round out the top five.

Best Nicolas Cage movies

1. Kick-Ass (2010)

3.72 (4689)

Kick-Ass (2010)

Dave is a nerd in high school, has few friends, lives alone with his father and is a huge fan of comic books. One day he decides that he wants to become a superhero, just like in one of his comic books. The problem is, however, that he has no superpowers and seems doomed to fail. His self-made suit and bravado cannot prevent him from getting a good beating in his first confrontations with real criminals. On his way, however, he meets some special allies.

Directed by: Matthew Vaughn
Stars: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Chloë Grace Moretz

2. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)

3.65 (848)

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)

Teenager Miles Morales (Shameik Moore ) is getting to grips with his powers as the new Spider-Man. With Kingpin hellbent on strengthening his crime syndicate in New York City, Miles meets various characters from parallel universes.

Directed by: Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey and Rodney Rothman
Stars: Shameik Moore, Jake Johnson and Hailee Steinfeld

3. Face/Off (1997)

3.64 (3582)

Face/Off (1997)

Sean Archer (Travolta) is a cop who has been hunting Castor Troy (Cage) for years. In a confrontation, Troy is nearly fatally injured and falls into a coma. Archer finds out that Troy has a bomb hidden somewhere and only Troy and his brother (who is in prison) know where. Archer has some doctors swap his face for Troy's so he can infiltrate the prison and get the info from Troy's brother. Meanwhile, the real Troy wakes up from his coma and takes over Archer's life with the face of Archer. In a race against time, Archer must find the bomb while stopping Troy from killing anyone who knows about their substitution trick.

Directed by: John Woo
Stars: John Travolta, Nicolas Cage and Joan Allen

4. Leaving Las Vegas (1995)

3.64 (2210)

Leaving Las Vegas (1995)

Ben (Nicolas Cage), a failed Hollywood screenwriter, is an incorrigible alcoholic. When he loses his family, his job and any prospects for the future, he decides to burn his ships behind him. He leaves for Las Vegas where he wants to meet his end in a long burst of alcohol and self-destruction. Then he meets the prostitute, Sera (Elisabeth Shue), who is desperate for love and on the run from her pimp. Ben and Sera become entangled in a relationship and find some respite from their hitherto bleak life.

Directed by: Mike Figgis
Stars: Nicolas Cage, Elisabeth Shue and Julian Sands

5. Adaptation (2002)

3.64 (1717)

Adaptation. (2002)

The film tells the story of screenwriter Charlie Kaufman who attempts to adapt the Susan Orleans non-fiction book The Orchid Thief. The book is the story of John Laroche, a plant dealer who clones rare orchids and sells them to collectors. We see the events from the book as we see Kaufman's attempts to transfer the book to film.

Directed by: Spike Jonze
Stars: Nicolas Cage, Meryl Streep and Chris Cooper

6. The Rock (1996)

3.61 (3382)

The Rock (1996)

A group of Marines occupies the island of Alcatraz with a mountain of chemical weapons. They're demanding $100 million to make up for the families of dead soldiers. If there is no payment, 15 rockets with the deadly VX gas will be sent to San Francisco. A team, including weapons expert Stanley Goodspeed and former Alcatraz inmate John Mason, is deployed to prevent the attacks.

Directed by: Michael Bay
Stars: Sean Connery, Nicolas Cage and Ed Harris

7. Lord of War (2005)

3.58 (3710)

Lord of War (2005)

Ukrainian-American Yuri Orlov is an arms operator who travels around the world to sell his trade. In doing so, he enters the most dangerous war zones. Yuri's profession makes him have many enemies. He must stay out of the hands of the ruthless Interpol agent Jack Valentine, his competitors and even some of his customers are not in his favor. Yuri's clients often consist of the most notorious dictators in the world.

Directed by: Andrew Niccol
Stars: Nicolas Cage, Bridget Moynahan and Jared Leto

8. Matchstick Men (2003)

3.55 (2016)

Matchstick Men (2003)

Roy, a neurotic man who has made a career out of scamming, is about to take on a lucrative job with his partner in crime, Frank. However, his life is turned upside down when he first comes into contact with his 14-year-old daughter through his therapist. At first she threatens his neurotic lifestyle, but soon he begins to enjoy fatherhood. However, his daughter is increasingly interested in Roy's work.

Directed by: Ridley Scott
Stars: Nicolas Cage, Sam Rockwell and Alison Lohman

9. Raising Arizona (1987)

3.29 (1116)

Raising Arizona (1987)

HI and Edwina make an unusual pair. HI is an incorrigible petty thief, Ed a former agent whom HI fell in love with during his captivity. But when Ed learns that she will never be able to have children, the two plan a theft. They will steal a child from a wealthy furniture giant, who was blessed with quintuplets.

Directed by: Joel Coen
Stars: Nicolas Cage, Holly Hunter and John Goodman

10. Joe (2013)

3.26 (642)

Joe (2013)

In the mean and rough world of a Texas town, ex-con Joe Ransom tries to put his dark past behind him. He leads a simple life. During the day he works at a timber company, at night he drinks. But when fifteen-year-old Gary - a boy trying to support his family - arrives in town desperate for work, Joe has found a way to atone for his sins, to finally be someone's hero.

Directed by: David Gordon Green
Stars: Nicolas Cage, Ronnie Gene Blevins and Tye Sheridan