6. Raising Arizona (1987) – Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen
“Raising Arizona” is the most comedic role of Cage’s on this list and, arguably, in general. While Cage capably demonstrates chops for comedy in other roles, his turn as Herbert “H.I.” McDunnough in the Coen Brothers’ film is a full-on display of charismatic humor and comedic timing. While the fantastic script from Joel and Ethan Coen is the reason for McDunnough’s delightfully goofy personality, Cage inhabits the character and makes McDunnough his own. With chaotic fly-away hair and an assortment of Hawaiian shirts and wife-beater tank tops, Cage is goofy, sweet, charming, but still misled. He’s the ultimate idiot-with-a-heart-of-gold and for every second Cage is on-screen, the audience is given no reason to doubt that H.I. McDunnough is anything but a real, if flawed, person that the Coen Brothers just happened to capture on film.
