‘Pig‘ is a drama film co-written and directed by Michael Sarnoski in his directorial debut. The movie was co-produced by Nicolas Cage and distributed by Neon.

Rob (Nicolas Cage) is a man living isolated in the woods of Oregon who hunts for truffles with the help of his pet pig. He sells his small crop to Amir (Alex Wolff), who, in turn, sells to five-star restaurants. One night, a duo of drug addicts steal his pig after attacking him. After he reaches out to Amir, they go deep into the city of Portland looking for anyone who might have been involved in the theft of the pig. Soon, Amir learns that Rob use to be a celebrated chef in the city and that something happened long ago to make him leave the industry. This creates some tension between the two and soon their journey takes them into the darkest parts of the city and the restaurant industry.

Nicolas Cage has been going through a renaissance where he has been seemingly taking the most insane parts he possibly can. After seeing the trailer for this movie, I thought it would be a visceral take on John Wick. Retired hitman. Loving pet or person. Pet or person gets taken. Man goes on a killing spree looking for it or avenging it. A lot of these have been popping up lately and I thought this would be one. Fortunately, I was wrong.

While it does have the pig angle, Cage’s character is more methodical than that. He is a hermit who chooses to be alone after a tragedy and he does not try to strong-arm anyone for information, though he does look menacing at times. Cage plays this character very well, reminding us that he does have considerable talent when he is giving the right script and directing.

The others do an excellent job as well, despite the small cast. Wolff is smart and has definite chemistry with Cage as he drives him around Portland looking for this pig. Their differing personalities made the movie not seem stale.

As for the story, it is they did a good job using the restaurant industry as a representation of trying to find something you love, something you feel is all you have left. Grief, loss of purpose, and finding a resolution. I liked it and though it did slow down at times, I felt it had a good message, albeit a tragic one.

Bottom line, Pig is a film you do not expect to see someone like Nicolas Cage star in, but he does an excellent job and the story is told in a brilliant way.

PARENTAL CONCERNS: Violence, Strong foul language

FAVORITE QUOTE: I’m looking for my pig.

Check out the trailer below:

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