'Pig' — Nicolas Cage Redefines Masculinity

The transcendent power of vulnerability

In an interview with Rotten Tomatoes, Cage said that “revenge” never came into the equation while he was considering the lead role for Michael Sarnoski’s feature debut, Pig. In fact, after he read the script, he thought of this movie “as cinematic haiku, a poem, a meditation on loss and great love.” Therefore, any comparison from critics to Keanu Reeves’ loud teen boy-pleaser action flick, John Wick, just rings false. In fact, I’d say it’s an insult.

If anything, Pig goes on a mission to redefine traditional masculine roles. There’s an unspoken vulnerability in it that employs unexpected methods and unmanly emotions to highlight something that’s inherently rooted in all men: tenderness.

And yet, if I told you the plot is about a broken man living in the woods with a truffle pig, which gets kidnapped, I bet you’d have an entirely different scenario in mind of how it plays out. But this isn’t a typical Nic Cage movie. If you expect him to blow up with the kind of madness, over-the-top badassery, and over-indulging violence he’s done in the past decade, you’ll be disappointed. So, let’s be clear: whatever you think this film is, I assure you, it’s not.