We all know Cage is pumping out movies of arguable quality with the frequency of a squirrel on Adderall these days, but every now and again, one comes along that seems just kooky enough to be worth a whirl.
Enter this medieval adventure flick that pairs Cage with Hayden Christensen as two knights fighting for the young, deposed Emperor of China.
The former Anakin seems to be the real star here, with Cage as the reluctant partner who shows up partway through the story (very possibly near the end) to pepper things up. And it seems that that's exactly what Cage is up to here; his sneering, pious posturing, and patented Cage Rage facial expressions are easily the most colorful things on display.
To be fair, the scale looks big, Christensen looks strong as the redemption-seeking hero, and some of the shots (esp. Hayden throwing down that sword) have a decent sense of style.
With Cage's curent work ethic, oddities like this are inevitable, but given Cage's talent and self-awareness, I always hope that they turn out at least fun. Hopefully, placing him as the second banana allows him to lean back and chew scenery without having to roll out exposition with the unbridled enthusiasm of a comatose patient.
OUTCAST puts China in the Cage on February 27th, 2015.
-Vincent Kim-Zahedi
”Papa Vinyard”
vincentzahedi@gmail.com
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