Nicolas Cage is getting positive attention from the critics, which currently equates to a “Fresh” status on Rotten Tomatoes.
Summary
- Nicolas Cage’s performance in Butcher’s Crossing is receiving praise, with critics noting his understated and impressive portrayal.
- The film offers Cage a new challenge, providing him with the opportunity to showcase his acting skills at this stage in his career.
- Cage’s role as the buffalo hunter Miller is garnering positive reviews, with his captivating and subdued performance being a standout aspect of the film.
Nearly 30 years ago, Nicolas Cage was “Leaving Las Vegas.” And the actor did so with the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role. Today, Cage is starring in Butcher’s Crossing, which is finally turning the thespian’s luck around on Rotten Tomatoes. After four “rotten” ratings on RT for Renfield, The Old Way, Sympathy for the Devil and The Retirement Plan, Butcher’s Crossing has received a “fresh” 71% on the Tomatometer — at the time of this writing. Variety’s Joe Leydon wrote of Cage’s performance:
Cage is welcomely understated in a performance that is all the more impressive for his avoiding his trademark excess.
IGN’s Rafael Motamayor also praised Cage for his portrayal of the buffalo hunter known as Miller:
Butcher’s Crossing is not the freshest of Westerns, but it does offer some bleak and gnarly imagery, gorgeous vistas, and Nicolas Cage in a subtle but poignant performance.
Travis Hopson of Punch Drunk Critics said of Cage’s portrayal:
The film offers Cage a rarity for someone at this stage of his career: a new challenge in a new genre.
Nicolas Cage Returns in Butcher’s Crossing
The Oscar-winning Nicolas Cage hasn’t impressed critics much with his last four cinematic outings, but most of the fans did enjoy the actor’s performances in both 2023’s Renfield and The Old Way with 79% and 70% audience scores on Rotten Tomatoes respectively. But Butcher’s Crossing is garnering Cage the praise he deserves for his portrayal of Miller. Alistair Harkness of the Scotsman writes:
Bald and bearded, Cage is typically magnetic as the Ahab-like Miller, whose obsessive quest to slaughter a valley full of bison for their hides slowly drives everyone insane.
Cage’s latest big-screen venture is based on the 1960 novel of the same name, which was penned by author John Edward Williams. Christopher Cross of Tilt Magazine wasn’t particularly keen on Butcher’s Crossing as a whole, but the writer did single out Cage for his role as Miller. Cross says:
A sturdy and subdued Nicolas Cage leads the otherwise rocky adaptation of John Williams’ western novel.
Fiona Underhill of The Digital Fix added:
Nic Cage is unrecognizable, but this new western unfortunately fails to live up to its potential. It continues the strong streak Cage is having in his career at the moment, but would have benefited from some narrative restructuring.
Check out MovieWeb’s review of Butcher’s Crossing to find out more about Cage’s cinematic adventure as the buffalo hunter Miller. At the time of this writing, the film hasn’t been assigned a CinemaScore, but the movie’s audience score of 57% doesn’t bode well for a promising theatrical run. Watch the trailer for Butcher’s Crossing now. The Western is playing in theaters and is available to preorder on VOD.
