Dying of the Light (2014)

I wanted to but couldn't!

Absolutely Brilliant!

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

A largely boring script. Slow moving and slow developing. Melodramatic. Extremely dark. Most people will lament the time lost. And the thing with the ear was getting silly. Cage's character has a mangled ear from being cut with wire cutters while he was being tortured. But when he does undercover work in disguise his make-up guy is able to miraculously fix that with prosthetic make-up. Then he is able to change back. It's ridiculous. That ear would need plastic surgery to make it look that good. I just started laughing at that point. It makes you wonder what kind of lousy medical insurance CIA agents would have if they couldn't fix the agent's ear years after the incident. What, they let him leave the hospital like that? Somebody get a needle and thread, for Pete's sake.

As with, well let's be honest, all of Nicolas Cage movies, then I am sitting down to watch the movie with very little expectations, because there is an overshadowing tendency that his movies turn out to be generic and cut from overly used recipes. And should it turn out to be that particular movie that surprises, once in a blue moon, then it is that much more pleasant to watch.However, "Dying of the Light" is one of those types of movies that has potential to be interesting, but it was squandered at the hands of director Paul Schrader. The movie turned out to be a very predictable and thus very generic movie for the thriller/drama genre.The acting in the movie was as to be expected. You have your ever-present single facial expression and random outbursts of loud voicing from Nicolas Cage. And he seemed like a fish out of water in this movie, trying to portray a government employee diagnosed with a debilitating mental illness.The movie follows a generic script and storyline, which has been seen and used in countless other movies prior to this 2014 movie. As such, then there is very little new to be had for the audience that actually do take the time to sit down and watch "Dying of the Light". And while it was scripted, then the movie also progressed way too fast, which essentially made the movie seemed forced and shallow.You know what you are getting yourself into here if you take a minute to read the synopsis, and with the thought of it being another one of the assembly line produced Nicolas Cage movies. And I can't claim to say that this particular movie is outstanding from the numerous other movies that Nicolas Cage stars in. As such, then I am rating "Dying of the Light" a mere four out of ten stars.

Dying of the Light featuring Nicolas Cage, well that's the reason I chose to watch the movie. I'm used to seeing Nicolas Cage typically play himself in every film and I'm typically sure of what to expect; so I didn't feel that watching this movie could be any different. Now Dying of the Light had a great story idea and the acting for the most part was sort of fair, not great. The issue with this film is it seemed to not ever get to what it was aiming for. It's not a bad movie, though it is one of those films that is hard to hold your attention.Dying of the Light did have some really good potential it just didn't come through, great attempt.

Although visionary film maker Paul Schrader had this motion picture taken out of his hand by the producer and re-edited, his script and directorial creativity remains powerful and intact. Corrupted by director Brett Ratner at the behest of Lionsgate, it is certainly not the film Schrader wanted to make in its entirety but enough remains of his vision to satisfy those who appreciate his genius. Both Schrader and Cage have disowned this as released, yet Nicholas Cage gives one of his finest performances and that should be imperatively noted. One can see where Schrader's cinematic electricity still runs through the celluloid and where Ratner's clumsy amateurish efforts short circuit the project. It is indeed a shame for this had the potential to earn Oscar nominations all around if not for the egregious studio interference that destroyed what Schrader strived so artistically to achieve.