Searching for the missing
Film | Cert: 15 |
NICHOLAS CAGE puts in a thrilling turn in this feature debut from writer-director Michael Sarnoski. The film also stars Adam Arkin — son of legendary Jewish actor Alan Arkin — and up-and-coming Jewish actor Alex Wolff (Hereditary, Old).
Cage plays taciturn loner Robin who lives alone in the Oregon wilderness with only his truffle-foraging pig for company. Robin’s only other interactions are with Amir (Wolff), an infuriatingly cocksure young luxury goods dealer who’s been buying Robin’s truffles and selling them at a high price to restaurant owners in the city, in direct competition with his disapproving father Darius (a robust performance from Arkin). One night Robin is attacked at his home by unidentified assailants who leave him battered and bruised and steal his most cherished procession, the pig.
The next day Robin learns that the pig was stolen by a couple of drug addicts who claim to have handed it to someone from downtown Portland. Reeling from his ordeal and out for revenge, a furious Robin demands that Amir drives him to Portland to get his pig back. The two find themselves embroiled in a series of incidents
with a violent criminal underworld, leading Amir to wonder about Robin’s real identity.
Sarnoski and co-writer Vanessa Block deliver a brilliantly devised drama which manages to be actionpacked and yet gently meditative. Furthermore, there is more than just a hint of John Wick about Robin’s character. Cage plays him as a man of a few words who is forced to resort to violence when something precious has been taken from him.
Overall, this is a truly impressive debut from Sarnoski even if his film feels a little too desperate for cult status both aesthetically and tonally. And while the comparisons with Wick don’t please everyone — Cage recently came out against the idea — there’s no getting away from the fact that there is a strong whiff of deja vu about this smart and brilliantly acted drama.