Film Review: Nicolas Cage is ‘The Surfer’ in a Beach Set Psychological Thriller

Give Nicolas Cage even a little bit to chew on and he’ll make a meal out of it. We’ve known this for years now, and yet, it still is just as enjoyable to bear witness to. The films vary in terms of quality, to be sure, but when Cage goes for it, he goes for it. The Surfer is yet another example of this, with the movie also attempting to offer up a bit more than just a Cage psychological thriller. It’s not always successful, admittedly, but there’s enough here, led by Cage, to warrant a recommendation.

The Surfer is at its best when it just lets Cage cook. The more it tries to play around with your bearings and sense of time, the wobblier it gets. However, when Cage is just acting his ass off, slowly but surely breaking down, there’s more than enough to grab on to. Is it one for the ages? No. Is it a movie worth seeing? Yes it is.

A man (Cage) has returned to the picturesque beach of his childhood with his teenage son (Finn Little), planning to do some surfing. The kid doesn’t seem to want much to do with his father or the beach itself, but it holds great importance to the man. He’s also attempting to finance the purchase of a nearby home, clearly putting not just time and money but also a large degree of his mental wellbeing into acquiring it. When the two arrive on the beach, they’re almost immediately told “don’t live here, don’t surf here” by a group of tough locals. The son is ready to call it a day, though the father feels humiliated, beginning a back and forth conflict.

The more the man confronts the locals, led by Scally (Julian McMahon), the greater the conflict gets. He’s consistently beaten and broken down with every encounter, resembling more of a crazed bum than the businessman we initially met. As he gets pushed towards his breaking point, there are hints of why this matters so much to him, as well as what he might ultimately be willing to do in order to achieve his goal.

Nicolas Cage gets to exhibit some control over his manic side here, while still getting to go pretty wild. It’s a consistently compelling performance from Cage, showcasing a lot of his best skills as an actor. You’re in his corner throughout, even when you want him to give up the ghost, and that’s a credit to his ability to get you on his side, regardless of the behavior at hand. Julian McMahon is the best of the supporting players, mixing charisma and intensity, while Finn Little is fine in a smaller role. The rest of the cast includes Alexander Bertrand, Nicholas Cassim, Rory O’Keeffe, and more, but this is Cage’s show.

Director Lorcan Finnegan and writer Thomas Martin try to mine a lot out of a little here, with more success than not. There’s a degree of intentional frustration on display, which can go either way, as repetition sets in. They need it for The Surfer to work, to be sure, but it does start to grind your gears after a while. Cage saves the day, especially since Martin’s script is a little on the nose at times, while a bit obtuse at others. Finnegan does make the beach hypnotically beautiful, especially as Cage gets uglier and uglier looking, and that’s a nice dichotomy.

The Surfer is far from perfect, though Nicolas Cage is very much on point. That alone makes it a curiosity, but what does work from a filmmaking perspective helps to set the movie apart. This is not some great hidden Cage gem, to be fair, but it is a film with enough interesting things going on to reward a patient viewer. It’s a slow burn, with Cage lighting up the screen, and that’s enough for me.

SCORE: ★★★