Another day, another Nicolas Cage film that we’ve never heard of gets a trailer.
As we recently mentioned, the “Face/Off” actor has announced that he probably only has another 3 years left in his acting career before he goes behind the camera to pursue directing. This sent our own Will Ashton into freefall, as he pleaded with the actor to never call it quits. Well, as if it wasn’t apparent already, maybe it is time for Cage to hang it up if he’s only going to do films like “211.”
In the trailer for his newest (direct-to-VOD) film, Cage plays a cop about to retire. He seems pretty happy about that, too. With all this technology, he doesn’t want to have any cameras in his face, as he says in the trailer. Could this be a possible metaphor for Cage’s recent comments on retirement? Probably not, but we’d like to think there’s something meta there.
At the very least, it appears that “211” has something to say (probably not the most intelligent commentary, however) about the recent string of police brutality caught on video by helpful bystanders with smartphones. But then again, by the end of the trailer, it’s clear that this film just wants to feature lots of explosions, gunfights, and the occasional trademark over-the-top line-delivery. It’s almost as if the trailer mocks us by saying, “Wait, you thought there was going to be serious social commentary in a Nicolas Cage direct-to-VOD film? HA!”
Like most Nicolas Cage films, you have to wonder if this latest project might be another “so bad it’s good” feature. “211,” like many of his latest projects, came out of the blue, with zero warning. Not too long ago, the actor was promoting his latest film, “Primal.” Then suddenly, as if we’re the film’s cops getting dispatched to a new horrific crime scene, we get Nicolas Cage in “211.”
Can someone like Paul Thomas Anderson please rescue the Academy Award-winning actor from direct-to-VOD hell and give him one last shot?
Watch the trailer here: