BY DOUG OSWALD
Nicolas
Cage is a workhorse and may be one of the busiest actors today. In an era where
big name actors might release a single movie per year, Cage typically comes out
with three, four or even five. At any given time he may have over a half dozen
movies in various stages of production. Cage is a good actor, often a very good
actor, and has made some very entertaining movies that stand up to repeat
viewings. I enjoy much of what he does from the over-the-top supernatural action-horror
movies “Ghost Rider†and “Drive Angry,†to the adventure-mystery “National
Treasure†franchise and his voice work for about a half-dozen animated movies.
His list of credits and genres is vast and, if his movie output is any
indication, he’s a very busy guy. This can be a good thing for Cage fans, but
may result in a mixed bag for movie fans when an actor has too much exposure.
Fortunately for Cage, he’s pretty good in just about everything he does.
In
“Outcast,†Cage plays Gallain and he’s teamed with Hayden Christensen as Jacob.
Gallain and Jacob are 12th century crusader knights who are becoming
increasingly weary of killing as they travel from the Middle East to the Far
East. We witness the ruthlessness of Jacob through the eyes of his mentor
Gallain as he kills the members of a defeated Moorish army that refuses to
surrender. Even women and children are not spared Jacob’s murderous wrath. When we meet Jacob again three years later, he’s an opium addict searching for
his former mentor as well as redemption for his past sins. He finds this
redemption as the protector of a princess and her younger brother who is the
rightful new king. Both are fleeing the terror of their older brother and
warrior, Prince Shing, played by Andy On, who was passed over in favor of his
younger brother for the throne and murdered his dying father, the king. Shing
is very similar to Jacob in his bloodlust and this is what his father wishes to
avoid in a new king.
The
relationship between Jacob and the young king is right out of the classic American
western genre playbook. While this movie is no “Shane,†it is an interesting
melding of American and Chinese action adventure and, fortunately, everyone
speaks perfect English. Jacob agrees to safely transport the princess Lian,
played by Chinese model/actress Liu Yifei, and her younger brother Zhao, played
by Bill Su Jiahang. The boy forms the expected bond and the princess falls in
love with their protector as they make their way to safety while fleeing the
older brother who has sent out an order to kill his younger siblings. The young
king begs to learn how to use a bow as expertly as Jacob and they pause for a time.
During this training we see a flashback of a young Jacob undergoing training by
his mentor, Gallain, who we have not seen since the opening scenes. Cage
eventually returns and he turns out to be the near mythical “white ghost†referred
to throughout the first part of the movie.
What follows are chases and several well-staged fight scenes that culminate with Prince Shing confronting Jacob and the White Ghost. Jacob comes to terms with his personal demons, he and Gallain find redemption and everything wraps up in a satisfying if predictable manner. The movie features terrific on-location shooting, exciting action sequences, great stunt work, good performances by everyone involved and a story thath held my interest throughout. Hayden Christensen delivers the goods as Jacob and I admit I had my reservations about him. He carries most of the movie himself and connects well with the two young actors. Cage’s performance almost feels like a cameo and I wish there was more of him, but overall it’s a decent take on the “East meets West†culture clash genre.
My first thought upon seeing the “Outcast†Blu-ray was that it was a direct-to-video release. The movie was initially released in Asia late in 2014 and received a limited February 2015 release in North America. However, all movies receive a second life on home video and “Outcast†plays very well in the home theater with the picture quality one should expect from a movie made in the high definition era. The Blu-ray includes a “making of documentaryâ€, interviews with cast and crew, the theatrical trailer and previews of other movies released by Entertainment One/Phase 4 Films. The documentary and interviews are of some interest, but the typical sort of thing found on contemporary releases. “Outcast†is the directorial debut for Nick Powell, who has worked primarily as a stunt coordinator and this experience is exploited to great effect. Cage, Christensen and Powell discuss their enthusiasm for Chinese action movies, their interest in Asian culture and how they worked with the primarily Asian cast and crew. The movie is typical for the genre, the action sequences are well done and the movie comes in at an entertaining 98 minutes.
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