5. Wild at Heart (1990) – Directed by David Lynch
With a snakeskin jacket that “represents a symbol of [his] individuality and [his] belief in personal freedom” and a slicked-back pompadour, Nicolas Cage launches himself into a full-blown Elvis impersonation in David Lynch’s “Wild at Heart”. His energy is what elevates Lynch’s 1990 film above being just any surreal Southern Gothic road film. Alongside Laura Dern as his young lover, in what is arguably her finest performance of her career, Cage plays Sailor, a freshly-released ex-con who likes to fight, smoke, listen to power-metal, make love to Dern’s Lula, and croon soft Elvis tunes. Cage’s unbridled passion is only outmatched by that of his character’s and it shows in how outstanding his performance ultimately is. Against David Lynch’s trademark surrealistic elements and an array of references to “The Wizard of Oz”, Cage delivers what is definitely a career-defining role as what Cage refers to as “a kind of romantic Southern outlaw.”
