Source: Wikipedia

Hello friends, it is I, Enzo, here again to write a review on the latest Nic Cage movie!

(this movie didn't have a tagline)

Given all the faffing around that has happened behind the scenes with this movie, which it has technically been in development hell for over 3 years now, I am very happy to say that this movie does not feel choppy or badly made and to be honest, I actually liked it. Dying of the Light presents an interesting spin on the clichéd plot point of, 'it's the final mission' and features a great and unique Nicolas Cage performance. 3 out of 4 movies released in one year isn't bad! 

I think people should be aware of what has happened to this movie behind the scenes before they watch it, while it isn't noticeable that a 3 hour film has been literally halved by the studios, it does, however, leave one to imagine what was taken out and what else would have been developed about the plot if everything was left as it was. And from what I have read, it was a hell of a lot. There are some flashback scenes to things that happened earlier in Evan's life or when he went to see a doctor and the audio from those scenes play over something he is doing in the present time, it just got me thinking that those two have been edited together and shortened to save time and get it down to a 90 minute mark but perhaps I am overthinking it. It is just little things about some scenes here and there that do feel quite tampered with, scenes that feel like they should have been separate feel like they are put together but perhaps I was just looking for the edits and, again, am overthinking it. 

source: teaser-trailer.com

It starts off very abruptly and not in a bad way, it jumps right into a very bad and surprisingly bloody scenario and throws us right into the story. The story here is quite interesting and it actually makes sense, which was one of my fears going in. I thought it would end up being like Sabotage, a film released early 2014, it was originally going to be 3 hours but was cut by the studios to an hour 50 to be more action orientated and it ended up being a convoluted and impenetrable mess. It might sound like a cliché with the down-on-his-luck-hero-going-out-for-one-final-mission but the movie adds enough to it to the point where you don't even think about it and given how everything plays out rather realistically and not manufactured for a movie, it feels like a movie based on a true story. There are also hints of intrigue into scrutiny of the CIA and how they use people and toss them aside once they become even a modicum of a liability with the corruptness of it all but it isn't really focused upon but then again, it isn't the focus point of the story. I wonder if the original version had more to do with this plot point as it does feel like something Schrader would put in his movies, he just seems to be bitter about people, he wrote Taxi Drive for god sake. 

The acting in the movie is great, the part definitely feels made for Nicolas Cage as the script seems to fit his acting style very well and I can't picture anyone else in the lead and Anton Yelchin also does a great job. These two do work well with each other and their chemistry together is rather genuine both as their characters and themselves, they seem to have had a good time working together, it feels very natural. Everyone else is fine but these two are on the screen the most, so it is pretty much these two making the movie work and keeping us interested. Nicolas Cage's look is interesting, throughout the course of the movie he ends up looking like different actors with the makeup he has put on him, just something to note. The dementia that Evan Lake is suffering from is unique to see in a movie like this and does add quite a lot, Nicolas Cage acts it out well and never does it play into a scene to create cheap tension, like I have seen happen before in other movies, they'll forget about that plot point until they need it in a tense moment, in this it is there constantly in the movie and is never forgotten about. However, again, while it is good it is there and they don't forget about, I think more could have been done with it and it most likely was! But it was edited out along with another half of the movie. When this movie was announced I read that the original disease would be blindness and that would have been very interesting to see where that would have gone, too!

source: www.aceshowbiz.com

The movie is very well made, the cinematography is very sleek looking and the movie just has a very crisp look to it, the music is also good and fits the mood of the movie. When the action scenes happen they are crafted well and don't just follow the norm of generic shaky cam to cover up that the people on screen are stuntmen, it is satisfying to watch. The movie has a unique ending and is a little more intelligent than most, however it keeps going for another ten minutes and those did feel a little rushed but at least it didn't waste any time. It is a real shame what happened here, it would have been really cool to see Nicolas Cage finally do a really powerful 3 hour movie, but I guess it wasn't meant to be. Given all the talent and the original length, I thought this could be an Oscar contender, or at least be an underdog in the competition, all the ingredients were there but oh well. I am happy that Cage and Schrader got to work with each other again, though, (Schrader wrote the script for Bringing Out the Dead). After awhile I did forget about looking for the edits because I was engaged in what was going on but it could have kept going for another hour and a half and I really wouldn't have minded. At least at the end of the day it does still fell like something Paul Schrader made, and whether or not that is a good or a bad thing is up to you. 

They might have told us not to see but I am glad that I did, Dying of the Light is an interesting movie and an interesting choice for Nicolas Cage. It might not be everything I was looking forward to but that happens when half of the movie is taken out, I can't imagine how infuriated they all must be. I know I keep bringing it up but it is a very important factor to think about when writing a review, the movie was twice its length originally and half of it was just... gone. Imagine how many important things were taken out, imagine how enraged you would be after putting all that work into it just to have some studio heads come in and wreck the project? Nevertheless, I am happy that I saw it and I am happy that the movie we got wasn't poorly edited or felt choppy, it works very well on its own but it just leaves me going, 'what if?', quite a lot. I really liked this and am looking forward to an extended edition that might hopefully be released someday. 

Thank you for reading