Pig

A truffle hunter (Nicloas Cage) has his pig stolen. He sets about recovering it.

Imagine if John Wick took out his revenge through talking and cooking. Funny and strange as it might sound, that’s roughly the driving concept behind Pig, and it works. Nicolas Cage is in fine fettle as our softly spoken protagonist, living a simple life out in the woods before having to head back to the city to track down his pig. He’s shown himself to be a great actor in the past, but has also been in some of the worst films put to celluloid; you can mark Pig down as ‘good Cage’.

It’s a beautifully shot and thoughtful piece largely on the nature of loss, living through it and coming to terms with the death of a loved one. Little metaphors and themes are set up and tidily resolved. It’s a little esoteric but not so out-there that it alienates the audience—Cage’s character speaks bluntly and lucidly which keeps the film grounded.

There are a couple of gentle twists in the tail and as the script begins to show its cards Pig proves to be a touching and carefully constructed piece of work.