Great list of characters, and the descriptive words are also interesting. Brave for Yuri, would have not thought of that myself, although I suppose he was.

Here is my list of some of Nic's greatest characters, although it is not definitive, because it is impossible for me to be so. In no particular order either.

Cameron Poe

Ben Sanderson

Ben Gates

Frank Pierce

H.I. McDunnough

Ronny Cammareri

Seth Plate

Stanley Goodspeed

Terence McDonagh

Charlie / Donald Kaufman

Ooh you are very brave you two! excellent lists, thank you for sharing them

I'm afraid I went away from this topic after posting and tried extremely hard to come up with a top ten but couldn't and stay honest with myself..too many fell off the bottom of the list (another another 50 or so!!!) but i can say that the characters who came into my mind first, and probably in this order, were:

Sailor

Behmen

Peter Loew

Johnny Blaze / Ghost Rider

Terence McDonagh

Frank Pierce

Michael Williams

Ben with an N

H.I

Charlie and Donald

But oh I feel I am betraying some of my other fave characters by making the list so small!

In truth I love all Nic's characters. there are some who are less easy to love perhaps - not due to the acting, but the charcter that they are. hmmm... hang on. can't think of any. even the more despicable Nic characters are redeemed by nuance and multidimensionality.

It is fun thinking about it though isn't it? a million diffent Nic character cameos flick before the eyes.................

We,, I have not seen that Italian one, although I have seen scenes from it online, but I suspect that I would not like that character at all.

There is one character in a movie I don't like, and I really don't know why, I can't put my finger on it. I won't say which one it is though.  

I believe that -- in support of an actor's career -- a fan of that actor sometimes needs toi bite the bullet. The very career of being an actor, especially a well-rounded actor like our Nicolas, roles will come that are extremely challenging. But as an actor, one has to committ to the role.  Playing a bad guy takes a certain amoun t of skill to be believable. You have to admire the actor who can play HI, then Cameron, then Seth, the Little Jr., then Ben...what an amazing cameleon we have in Nicolas Cage. What an amazing talent.

Okay...my favorite 10. And yes, just 10 out of the many roles this man has played is REALLY difficult. But I'll take a shot at it.

Ben Gaites - an amazing intellect, an adventurous spirit, a good heart, a funny sense of humor, heroic without weilding a weapon...sigh...

Johnny Blaze - A sweet heart in spite of the Rider. Any man who 'drinks' his jellybeans from a martini glass has my vote.

Seth Plate - Plate? Your name is PLATE? Child...good thing you didn't look in the bathroom. Seth Toilet might not have gone over so well. Gentle soul. 

Capt. Corelli - All those good looks anda the boy gotta the music too! 

HI - That child needed somebody to take care of him.

Balthazar - can park his old man shoes under this old lady's bed anytime.  He would be a fun date. I would LOVE to work in that guy's shoppe!!!

Joe - Singular. Deadly. touched by innocense. Moved by beauty. No life to speak of. Doomed. But I  believe, a good guy.

Amos - good lord, that boy needs a GPS sewn to his butt. Scruffy and cute. Needs to learn the difference between up and down, left and right, north and south, east and west and peanut butter and jelly.

Cameron Poe - well I mean! Wuf!

Ronny Cammareri - Do NOT judge THIS book by its cover. Intelligent, passionate, short fused, drama boy. What's not to love?

(At this juncture you will notice there are two Italians listed here...what can I say...Italian boys...sigh) Well that's 10 I love. Not neccessarily the top 10 either...Although it will take a mighty special role to unseat Ben Gaites up there in seat number one.

That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

Flo and CajunShewolf thanks for adding your lists, Joe almost made it to mine but it is very tough squeezing them all into ten! beautifully described Cajun, your words resonate.

I tend to veer towards tortured and conflicted characters, of which there are many in Nic's library.

I hear you.  Those are my 2nd favorite characters. I love when he plays a non-violent character. A sweetheart...such as Seth and Ben and Family Man and Weather Man...I love his action characters but Nic has such sweetness in him and I love it when a character reflects that. 

I just watched Drive Angry today as I check through the movies I ordered to make sure they're in good condition. What an outrageous Testostifest! Full of Muscle cars, explosions, gratuitous sex, nekkid boobs, foul language, blood, explosions, violence, chases, black magic, and oh yes, nekkid ladies and did I mention violence? In short, I LOVED it and howled with laughter through most of it. (I may be old but I'm not dead.)

The best Nick line is 'I never disrobe before a gunfight'. Watching him roll around shooting with a nekkid woman glued to his chest was a riot. OH to have been at THAT shoot. LOL. 

But the best line of all in the film was delivered by William Fichtner who played 'The Accountant' when he said I'm fr om the Federal Bureau of Get the F--k outa my way! GREAT line. I'm trying to imagine Fox Mulder saying that line and its just not working.

Nick, as always, was a joy to watch. The film was kinda Grindhousey...sexploitation...but fun none the less.  

WOW How the hell did I miss this??!

Okay, I don't really agree with the imdb list, excpet Castor Troy from face-off. Everybody's got a really good list here, for me these characters should definitly be in it:

-Castor Troy

-Behmen

-Peter Loew

-Terrence McDonagh

-Milton

-Cameron Poe

-Seth 'Plate'

-Memphis Raines

-Yuri Orlov

Doubters are:

-David Spitz

-Ben Sanderson

-Johnny Blaze

-Little Jr. Brown

It's hard to say specifik ones saying 'the greatest'. Because, characters like Yuri, Terrence, Ben S., Cameron, are the best ones, but then I'm not including my personal taste and my personal taste would rather lead to Memphis and Seth. Hard to put numbers on 'em :/.