Nicolas Cage stars in suspenseful, psychological thriller “The Surfer” which combines that “you ain’t from around these parts” mentality with the blaring Australian summer heat.
Photo Credit — IMDB
Enjoying a career resurgence over the past few years, Nicolas Cage (“Longlegs,” “Renfield”) is doing his darnedest riding out the wave, no pun intended.
This time in “The Surfer,” a successful businessman returns to his childhood home on the picturesque Australian coast with his teenage son in order to rekindle a bond with the boy and buy back the home he has always desired to have kept in his family.
The tides turn quickly though as the “Surfer” gets caught up in an under toe of trouble by a local gang of outlaws who quickly recognize the polished American does not belong on their native turf. “The Surfer” is no doubt a Nicolas Cage vehicle, and as usual, the eclectic actor delivers his audience the goods.
In an over-the-top performance, Nic Cage’s “Surfer” spirals into a deep abyss of madness, leaving the audience puzzled as to what is real and what is possibly only being hallucinated. Mr. Cage is one of my favorite longtime veteran actors, with a catalog of titles like “Peggy Sue Got Married,” “Leaving Las Vegas,” “The Family Man,” “Dream Scenario,” “Valley Girl,” and “Adaptation,” it’s undeniably hard not to adore this cheeky nephew of Francis Ford Coppola.
In this psychological thriller, which simmers throughout and eventually boils over by the end with a climax that leaves your head spinning. It’s one of those trippy movies where you will want to go home and either YouTube the explanation of the story, or at least google other interpretations, which are left up for debate. It is certainly a crisply shot film that doesn’t want you to be lazy. It wants you to use your brain to piece the puzzle together. Rubik’s Cube anyone?
There was a scene with a snake, where after some research it was admitted that Nic was bit in the hand by the slithering reptile. Talk about going all in for his role!
As you witness the descent of this unhinged main character, you can’t help but feel guilty as a viewer for not being able to step in and help this poor guy out. As with life itself, nothing is what it seems in “The Surfer,” and for this case, thank heavens not…
”The Surfer,” starring: Nicolas Cage, Finn Little
Christopher’s “Meow” Score: “6 1’2” paws out of 10.
