Nic Cage Is An "Army Of One"

Army of One (2016)  

Rated R

Starring Nicolas Cage, Russell Brand, Wendy McLendon-Covey

Directed by Larry Charles

The Story:

When Gary Faulkner (Cage) gets a message from God (Brand) to go find Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan, the unemployed handyman on dialysis sets out on his holy crusade.

Is this the part where I say it's based on a true story?

Of course it is.

And filing this one under the truth is stranger than fiction department, it is indeed a crazy ride that Faulkner embarked on, and came so very, very, very close to succeeding.

How close?

Well, let's just say that within days of Faulkner's last attempt, mission accomplished.

You can draw your own conclusions from there.

So when you say you need to portray a man that's just this shy of crazy on screen, who can you turn to?

The obvious answer is Nic Cage. And he's at his manic best...and yet...he's also oddly restrained.

Toning down his usual over-the-top Cageisms, he channels the feelings of man who is sincerely convinced that God wants him to find Bin Laden when all other efforts have proven futile.

The movie wanders a bit here and there, but for the most part, you remain glued to the proceedings wondering what the heck is going to happen next with Faulkner.

In that case, mission accomplished!

Final Grade: C+