Editing Nicolas Cage (section)

===2012–2017: Career setbacks===
[[File:Nicholas Cage(1).jpg|thumb|left|Cage at the 2011 [[San Diego Comic-Con]]]]
In 2013, Cage was involved in many projects. Notable films including animated film ''[[The Croods]]'', in which he voiced a character named Grug Crood. ''The Croods'' received positive reviews from critics and was a box-office success grossing $585&nbsp;million against a budget of $135&nbsp;million.<ref name="Lp7Gx" /> He starred as main character in ''[[The Frozen Ground]]'', a [[Thriller film|thriller]] [[Crime film|crime]] [[Drama (film and television)|drama]] film directed and written by Scott Walker in his [[List of directorial debuts|directorial debut]], based on the crimes of real-life Alaskan [[serial killer]] [[Robert Hansen]].<ref name="THRILL" /> The film, reunited him with Cusack, depicts an Alaskan State Trooper, played by Cage, seeking to apprehend Hansen, played by Cusack, by partnering with a young woman who escaped from Hansen's clutches. The film has received mixed reviews though Cage's performance was cited as a highlight and solid.<ref name="rottentomatoes" /><ref name="metacritic" /> He also starred in ''[[Joe (2013 film)|Joe]]'', an [[Independent film|independent]] [[crime film|crime]] [[Drama (film and television)|drama film]] directed and co-produced by [[David Gordon Green]], adaptation from [[Larry Brown (author)|Larry Brown]]'s 1991 novel of the same name. In this film Nicolas Cage is a tormented man who hires a 15-year-old boy (played by [[Tye Sheridan]]) and protects him from his abusive father. The film premiered at the [[70th Venice International Film Festival]] on August 30, 2013,<ref name="ucBTb" /><ref name="b1GG8" /> with a subsequent screening at the [[2013 Toronto International Film Festival]].<ref name="TIFF2013" /> It was a [[Box office bomb|box office flop]], grossing only $2.36&nbsp;million from a $4&nbsp;million budget, but received critical acclaim from critics, who praised Cage's performance and Green's direction.

The 2016 black comedy ''[[Dog Eat Dog (2016 film)|Dog Eat Dog]]'', Cage's second film with [[Paul Schrader]], reunited him with [[Willem Dafoe]] (after ''[[Wild at Heart (film)|Wild at Heart]]'') as a pair of ex-convicts hired to kidnap a baby.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Debruge |first1=Peter |title=Cannes Film Review: 'Dog Eat Dog' |url=https://variety.com/2016/film/reviews/dog-eat-dog-review-cannes-1201779495/ |website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |access-date=June 25, 2018 |date=May 20, 2016 |archive-date=June 25, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180625185210/https://variety.com/2016/film/reviews/dog-eat-dog-review-cannes-1201779495/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The film had its premiere as the closing entry for the [[Directors' Fortnight]] section at the [[2016 Cannes Film Festival]] on May 20, 2016.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2016/05/dog-eat-dog-willem-dafoe-video-paul-schrader-1201755927/|title=Willem Dafoe's Loose Cannon Crook in Paul Schrader's 'Dog Eat Dog' – Cannes Video|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|first=Anthony|last=D'Alessandro|date=May 14, 2016|access-date=May 16, 2019|archive-date=May 16, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190516185700/https://deadline.com/2016/05/dog-eat-dog-willem-dafoe-video-paul-schrader-1201755927/|url-status=live}}</ref> It was released on November 4, 2016, in the United States.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2016/09/dog-eat-dog-trailer-nicolas-cage-willem-dafoe-paul-schrader-2-1201730596/|title='Dog Eat Dog' Trailer: Nicolas Cage and Willem Dafoe Go Wild In Paul Schrader's Crazy Heist Thriller—Watch|website=[[IndieWire]]|first=Kate|last=Erbland|date=September 26, 2016|access-date=May 16, 2019|archive-date=May 16, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190516185704/https://www.indiewire.com/2016/09/dog-eat-dog-trailer-nicolas-cage-willem-dafoe-paul-schrader-2-1201730596/|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Peter Bradshaw]] of ''[[The Guardian]]'' gave the film four out of five stars, writing, "It's the right director for the right project and the result is Schrader's best for years: a lairy, nasty, tasty crime thriller built on black-comic chaos."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/may/20/dog-eat-dog-review-willem-dafoe-paul-schrader-ed-bunker-cannes|title=Dog Eat Dog review – Willem Dafoe is magnificently needy in Paul Schrader's tasty thriller|website=[[The Guardian]]|first=Peter|last=Bradshaw|date=May 20, 2016|access-date=May 16, 2019|archive-date=December 29, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201229131720/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/may/20/dog-eat-dog-review-willem-dafoe-paul-schrader-ed-bunker-cannes|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Todd McCarthy]] of ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]'' wrote, "A rare film to have been shot in Cleveland, ''Dog Eat Dog'' definitely looks like it was shot on the cheap but puts what it needs to up on the screen with vigor and wit."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/dog-eat-dog-cannes-review-896012/|title='Dog Eat Dog': Cannes Review|website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|first=Todd|last=McCarthy|date=May 20, 2016|access-date=May 16, 2019|archive-date=May 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210518134750/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/dog-eat-dog-cannes-review-896012/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Cage starred alongside [[Selma Blair]] and [[Anne Winters (actress)|Anne Winters]] in [[Brian Taylor (filmmaker)|Brian Taylor]]'s horror [[comedy film]], ''[[Mom and Dad (2017 film)|Mom and Dad]]'',<ref name="rbDiE" /> which premiered in the Midnight Madness section at the [[2017 Toronto International Film Festival]]. It was released in theaters on January 19, 2018,<ref name="SfLOd" /><ref name="TwUPh" /> and received positive reviews from critics, with [[review aggregator]] [[Rotten Tomatoes]] defining his performance as "over-the-top."<ref name="FPMRU" /> Director [[John Waters]] appreciated the film, naming ''Mom and Dad'' as one of the best movies of 2018, placing it fourth on his personal top list.<ref name="oFVaJ" />