Movie review: Pig
PIG (NC16)
Nicolas Cage has made a string of duds over the years, almost to the point where he has become some sort of Hollywood punchline.
So who would have thought that a little-known, bizarrely titled film like Pig is the best- reviewed live-action film of his career, with an eye-popping 97 per cent Rotten Tomatoes score?
Opening exclusively at The Projector on Nov 11, the poignant drama is proof that we should not write him off just yet.
Living alone in the Oregon wilderness, a gruff, reclusive truffle hunter (Cage) returns to Portland with the aid of his buyer (Alex Wolff) to find the culprits who stole his beloved truffle-foraging pig.
The premise may seem straightforward, but the way the story unfolds is far from, as the duo follow clues from contacts that lead them from an underground fighting ring to a haute cuisine restaurant and finally to a quietly devastating denouement.
A couple of sequences are so well done, they will stay with you for a long time.
We have the good guy and the bad guy, and both end up having a past link and are still traumatised by similar grief and loss.
Pig is a melancholic, thoughtful debut from writer-director Michael Sarnoski, and Cage's raw performance will make your heart ache and remind you how superb he can be with the right material. - JEANMARIE TAN
score 3.5/5
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now
