Pig Movie Review: The Best Nicolas Cage Performance in at least 20 Years

Michael Sarnoski‘s feature directorial debut, Pig, is a surreal and frequently brilliant anti-revenge film. Nicolas Cage turns in a moving, introspective performance as Rob that should end with him earning an Academy Award nomination.

Rob is a reclusive truffle hunter in Oregon. He rarely speaks unless it’s necessary. His only connection to humanity is Amir, who pays Rob to supply him with truffles. Alex Wolff is outstanding as Amir. Wolff is tremendous at hanging on Rob’s every word. Amir is a young man who ultimately wants approval no matter how hard he denies it. Rounding out the strong, albeit small ensemble is Adam Arkin as Darius.

In a brilliant move, Sarnoski uses the titular Pig’s kidnapping to take us on a tour of Portland’s underground culinary scene. As the film moves from the forest to the city, Rob does begin to talk more. Cage rarely raises his voice. It’s the words, intelligence and industry knowledge he uses that demonstrate his control of every situation.

Pig does have some issues. There’s not nearly enough time spent with the pig. Cage does a strong job of showing how much he cares for the pig, but we don’t get to really see the connection on screen.

There’s a surreal quality to everything that happens in Pig. On occasion, the film will go too far. Going into the film, many were expecting a John Wick-like vengeance film. While the vengeance aspect isn’t present, there’s an underground network of chefs in Portland that has a similar surreal quality to the network of assassins in the John Wick films. There’s a fight club-type scene that feels removed from the rest of the film.

With the overview out of the way, let’s dive deeper into Portland’s surreal culinary scene. Pig is available in theaters.

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Search for a Pig

The beginning of the film shows what appears to be a typical day for Rob. He leaves his ramshackle cabin with his pig in tow to hunt for truffles. There isn’t even a shower, tub or bath, as Amir points out.

There are some gorgeous shots during this early portion. The forest looks inviting, relaxing and even somewhat therapeutic. It’s a great contrast to the cityscape scenes. The city feels like a lie. A shallow and frequently claustrophobic experience.

After finding a truffle, Rob returns to the cabin. He cooks up a campfire meal. Without spelling it out, you can tell he has a connection to food. Amir shows up. Rob pretty much just grunts at him. Amir pays Rob for the truffle and heads out. The lack of security becomes a concern.

Coyote howls camouflage the ambush. A group of masked men break in, beat down Rob and take his Pig. Rob heads to a bar down the road and calls Amir to give him a ride. Rob’s able to find the captors pretty quickly, but they no longer have the pig. You can tell this isn’t going to be a revenge film based on this scene. Rob doesn’t do anything to the couple responsible for stealing his pig. He simply gets up and leaves for Portland.

Chef Rob

Due to the small circle of characters, it’s pretty obvious who paid to steal the pig. The predictability actually works in the film’s favor.

Rob and Amir start their investigation of sorts by visiting a restaurant contact from his past. Edgar runs an underground fighting ring that seems tied to the culinary industry but isn’t really explained. Rob takes a beating. Edgar provides some information in exchange.

Amir and Rob call it a night. The next morning, Amir makes breakfast and using Edgar’s clue he asks Amir to make a reservation at a restaurant. Amir’s admiration for Rob as a chef is first shown here in a nice scene.

The scene at the restaurant is the best in the film. Rob asks to speak to the head chef, Derrick. I won’t spoil Derrick’s connection to Rob. However, I will say Rob absolutely destroy this head chef using only his words and knowledge of Derrick’s past. The moment Derrick realizes who Rob is, he is at Rob’s mercy. Derrick is so broken down that he eventually reveals that it was Darius, Amir’s father, who took the pig.

Amir admits to mentioning the pig to his father but never thought his father would use the information to steal the pig. Nevertheless, Rob ends the partnership and decides to pay Darius a visit.

Grief Hangs Over All

Few character actors do smug superiority as good as Arkin. The meeting between Rob and Darius doesn’t go well for Rob. They each make pointed barbs about their wives. Each of their words stings and the air of grief is palpable. Amir is also trying to come to grips with his grief.

After leaving Darius’s house, Rob and Amir reconcile. Rob admits he doesn’t need the pig to hunt truffles. He just loves her. I love the sentiment, but I needed more scenes with Rob and the pig to truly feel that sense of love. With John Wick, the character’s quest for vengeance is tied to the grief of his wife. The dog is the last gift she gave him. In Pig, that context is never provided. Did his wife give him the pig? That answer is hinted at, but never provided.

Rob decides to take a different approach to get his pig back. He sends Amir to retrieve some ingredients. Rob heads to a former baker of his to retrieve a specific loaf of bread. Rob and Amir head back to Darius’s house. The duo prepares a meal. The same meal Chef Rob cooked for Darius and his wife years ago. Darius breaks down at this moment. A mixture of mostly grief with some remorse douses the scene.

You’ll have to check out Pig to find out more.

Pig Final Thoughts

Pig is a bizarre film that works due to the performances of Cage and Wolff. There have been men of few words films before. I can’t recall a film switching from seldomly speaking to a verbose approach based on the change in setting. Rob goes from basically grunting at the beginning to delivering specific pearls of wisdom or torment depending on the target.

Personally, could have done without the fight club scene. I also think the pig could have been woven into the story better. However, this is a fantastic effort by Sarnoski that everyone should watch.