You have to hand it to Nicolas Cage.

At this point in his lengthy career the 61-year old Academy Award winning actor has opted to find the craziest, most bizarre projects imaginable.

That is definitely the case with his latest film “The Surfer.” This is Cage at his most unhinged, playing a man pushed to edge amidst a beautiful sun-drenched, technicolor canvas.

It’s a film with style and flair, with Cage going full Nic Cage. It may not have much else to offer, but that proves to be enough to satisfy anyone craving a B-movie mind scramble.

Cage plays a character simply known as the Surfer, who as the film begins has brought his son (Finn Little) to his childhood stomping ground – specifically a Luna Bay beach he frequently surfed as a kid.

The Surfer is in the process of trying to buy his childhood home that features a perfect view of the beach – it’s a transaction that he is hopeful will patch up the relationship with his estranged wife and his son.

But his idealistic afternoon quickly takes a dark turn when a surfer gang led by Scally (Julian McMahon) refuses to let the father and son surf – with the standoff ending in violence.

The son leaves, but the Surfer is determined to get revenge – a quest that just pushes him further and further over the edge.

“The Surfer” basically unfolds in the parking lot overlooking the beach with director Lorcan Finnegan staging a series of events that test the main character’s sanity – and the audience’s patience.

It all grows more and more uncomfortable to watch, but Cage is so willing to go all the way with the insanity that it manages to hold together – even when Thomas Martin’s screenplay starts sputtering and spinning in circles.

To Martin’s credit the screenplay does do an effective job at tackling the theme of toxic masculinity and the way it can just fester even in the best of people.

Cage helps to drive that message home, especially in a final act that may not end on the highest of notes – but still manages to stick the landing. That is pretty impressive considering the emotional high wire act the whole experience is.

I’m not sure “The Surfer” could have worked with anyone else, so it’s a good thing Cage is willing to do whatever it takes – pushing what could have been a cinematic disaster into mildly entertaining territory.

If You Go
“The Surfer”
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Finn Little
Directed by: Lorcan Finnegan
Rating: R for language, suicide, some violence, drug content and sexual material
Playing at: Nashville market including Belcourt Theater
Grade: B-