Which actor has the least talent..KEANU REEVES or NICOLAS CAGE?

[thatdude]

This is a tough topic, as you all know both of these actors are well know for taking good movies with great supporting casts and adding the only sucky performance in the film. Please let me know who you think sucks worse?

[Danny L]

Keanu - all the way. At least Cage had the decency of being good in LEAVING LAS VEGAS and also for being the man to back up SHADOW OF THE VAMPIRE where he was the producer.

Reeves is just wooden. Maybe the only role he ever been good in - funny too - was the Bill&Ted movies.

[Jarheadiswhitetrash]

Hmmm after some extensive thought and evalution of my own initial choices I have come to a conclusion.

Originally I would have said that Nic Cage was the worst of the two actors. Personally I have to say that I like Keanu Reeves quite a bit better in movies. Pretty much everything about Reeves is cooler than Cage and so I would have said Reeves was better and Cage was worse.

Now obviously they are both on the low end of the acting spectrum. But there individual reasons for being there are different and THAT is what makes me finally choose Cage as the better Actor despite the fact that I like Keanu Reeves better.

You see Keanu Reeves' problem is quite simple. He cannot simulate emotion of any kind in any of his roles. Who knows why some people have those kinds of faces or some people where their feelings on their sleeves, and because of this, his issues may not mean lack of talent, still thats all irrelivant. The point is that he cannot do it. But unlike other actors that have this same problem such as Chris O'Donnell or Freddie Prinze Jr., Reeves just "fits" into his role. You see Reeves performances often give the audience the idea that his character could have been played by anyone. And this is partially true, but the other factor is that Reeves's is a great everyman meaning he is a good poster boy or example of the average joe or at least the average joe for that character. Now just as above this doesn't mean that it's because of talent it may mean that he just has one of those faces. Regardless, the roles he plays usually seem as if he is "just adequate", or "filling the space". Most people feel that he adds nothing to a film but that he doesn't take anything away from it either.

Now Nic Cage is a bit of a different matter. He actually has shown some acting talent(Wild at Heart, Vampires Kiss) his roles in these films may not have been spectacular but portrayal of emotion was neccessary for them to work. And he did this, weather or his portrayal was convincing is debatable but at least you could tell he was feeling something. I think the many reason that Nic Cage is seen as a terrible actor is because of 1 thing: He's a Jerry Bruckheimer boy. ALOT of his movies in the past few years have been related to Jerry Bruckheimer or Michael Bay which is the same thing because they always work together.(Con-Air, The Rock, Gone in 60 Seconds) Now I don't think anyone can deny how crappy these films were. Yes there were some enjoyable scenes in a few of them, but the fact is it's impossible to get past the Trademark "over the top action" and "dumb fuck one liners" in Bruckheimer movies. For some reason the guy actually thinks people enjoy this crap. Another thing is the stupid fucking names in his films. Even though they may not be dectable to a laymen film goer, some of the names just reek of "camp", as do all his movies. A great example of the above listed complaints is "Gone in Sixty Seconds" how in the hell could someone make this film?

Anyway I thinkt that Cages downfall has to do with his choices in movies that he is in. To begin with he's not a great actor, he's probably not even a good actor, but people wouldn't hate him if he would stop acting like such an ass.

Keanu Reeves may be emotionless but it's hard to argue that he doesn't work when he's been in blockbuster films like: The Matrix,
Point Break, and a few others. Whereas Cage has done arguably Face/Off, which is the only thing that would appeal to the mainstream crowd.

Still technically it's not Cages acting that makes him an ass it's his choice in film projects. Whereas Reeves just has not ever developed his own style.

For now I would have to grudgingly go with Cage as the better Actor. For two reasons. 1: As soon as Reeves finds his own style he will be much better. 2:All the films where Reeves has been rumored to be emotional in,(My own private Idaho, The Gift) I have not seen so I cannot be a complete judge.

So the score for now is.

Nic Cage-better
Keanu Reeves-worse

[EL_PHANTAZMO]

I think it's a pretty close race. But I have to go with Keanu as the better actor. Nicholas Cage started out good in his earlier work, but has now gotten used to the no-brainer action dude character, and now uses him in every role. Keanu Reeves on the other hand, started out as the no brainer action dude, and is now evolving into an actual "actor". He was pretty good in the Gift, and not bad in The Watcher. He's actually choosing good movie scripts, unlike Gone in 60 seconds, Snake Eyes, 8mm.... I am actually starting to "like" Reeves a little more. Nicholas Cage is trying to redeem himself by wanting to be in every new movie that comes out, Ghost Rider, Red Dragon... I wouldn't be surprised if he wants to be daredevil.
So IMHO, the guy with the least talent would have to be Nic Cage.

[Puck Bond]

Keanu Reeves is the worst of the two...

Cage has an oscar and does kick-ass action films to boot

[Matias]

Totally agree with PuckBond here. I like Cage's movies, the action movies are actually very cool... Cage all the way for me.

[This message has been edited by Matias (edited 09-05-2001).]

[FlickJunkie]

I would have to say Nicolas Cage. He is a better actor, except he seems to be type-cast as this glum kind of guy like he was in Leaving Las Vegas or the kind of action star like in his, well, action films. Keanu is kind of annoying and EW even had this list of all the movies where Keanu does his signature "Whoa!" and there were a lot of movies where he said that.

[Lindsey]

Keanu has the least bit of talent.I love Cage and I think he's a good actor!

[momentomanic]

While not a devotee of Keanu I thought he was pretty scary in The Gift. Perhaps I need to see it again as I never have heard anyone comment of this role, and I thought he was really pretty special in it.

Cage was good in Red Rock West.

[This message has been edited by momentomanic (edited 09-06-2001).]

[Jasonite]

Nicolas Cage is, in fact, a pretty talented actor. His problem is that he doesn't really try in movies anymore, and I think he takes roles in movies depending on who pays him the most, not which is the best or most interesting part to play. I don't think I've been happy with a peformance of his since Face/Off.

Keanu Reeves is not any kind of great actor, but he still has the capability to make me believe him. I really liked him in the Matrix, for example.

J

[Nate6]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Jasonite:
Nicolas Cage is, in fact, a pretty talented actor. His problem is that he doesn't really try in movies anymore, and I think he takes roles in movies depending on who pays him the most, not which is the best or most interesting part to play. I don't think I've been happy with a peformance of his since Face/Off.

Keanu Reeves is not any kind of great actor, but he still has the capability to make me believe him. I really liked him in the Matrix, for example.

J</font>

It's true about Nicolas Cage, he really IS a great actor, he just makes bad career choices. As much as some of you think the Oscars suck, they DON'T give them to bad actors (remember the majority of members ARE actors themselves). Russell Crowe and Julia Roberts were good, if not incredible, in their winning performances in GLADIATOR and ERIN BROCKOVICH. Cage's win for LEAVING LAS VEGAS was no fluke, he was really, really good in that film. What he needs to do is a smaller, more personal, perhaps thrilling movie, NO MORE JERRY BRUCKHEIMER CRAP!!!

[DaN]

Reeves really sucks. Cage is ok because of the two las vegas films he made. But damn, Reeves sucks ass. he fucked up EVERY movie he was in. Dumb untalented fucker.

[Favourite end]

They are both good actors, although I think Reeves is worse because he is a good actor only in good films (which are quite few), while Cage is good not only in his best movies.

[Dark Prince]

I'd have to go with Keanu.

[QUENTIN]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Nate6:
It's true about Nicolas Cage, he really IS a great actor, he just makes bad career choices.
</font>

Agree with you 100% percent ...


<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Nate6:
As much as some of you think the Oscars suck, they DON'T give them to bad actors
</font>

Couldn't disagree with you more...


<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Nate6:
(remember the majority of members ARE actors themselves).
</font>

What does that have to do with ANYTHING from a diddle-eyed-joe to a damned-if-I-know?


<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Nate6:
Russell Crowe and Julia Roberts were good, if not incredible, in their winning performances in GLADIATOR and ERIN BROCKOVICH.
</font>

Also disagree quite a bit. Julia was doing nothing more than an imitation of two things, the 90's empowered woman who says smart-ass things on her mind, and a guest on the Jerry Springer show with that atrocious dialogue. At any moment I was bracing myself for Erin to turn to Ed Masry and tell him "talk to the hand". As for Russel, he wasn't terrible or good, he was just there in a standard action role, the same thing Nic Cage does in a Bruckheimer pic only more stoic, but it wasn't his fault, he had nothing to work with.


<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Nate6:
Cage's win for LEAVING LAS VEGAS was no fluke, he was really, really good in that film.
</font>

Agreed, or more accurately I think that's an understatement. Cage was out-fucking-standing in Leaving Las Vegas, that's one of the 10 or 15 best performances of all time. Along with Denzel in Malcolm X that's the best male performance of the 90's.


<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Nate6:
What he needs to do is a smaller, more personal, perhaps thrilling movie, NO MORE JERRY BRUCKHEIMER CRAP!!!
</font>

I think EVERYONE agrees with you there...

[SteveSzyk]

Cage isn't a bad actor... Reeves isn't a bad actor... I like Reeves because of Speed, The Matrix... Cage was good in 8mm.

[Nate6]

"As much as some of you think the Oscars suck, they DON'T give them to bad actors"
--------------------------------------------
"Couldn't disagree with you more..."


QUENTIN, name one REALLY bad actor they've given an Oscar to. I honestly can't think of one.