"Pig": review

2021's "Pig" stars Nicolas Cage and is co-written and directed by first-time helmer Michael Sarnoski. Alongside Cage are stars Alex Wolff and Adam Arkin (son of Alan). The story itself is quite simple: a forest-dwelling recluse named Rob (Cage) hunts for truffles in the Oregonian woods with his pig, and one day, some mysterious strangers knock Rob out and kidnap the pig. The incident launches Rob on a quest to get his pig back with the grudging help of young Amir (Wolff), the up-and-coming reseller who comes by Rob's shack weekly to buy Rob's truffles and resell them to haute Portland restaurants. Rob has lived away from civilization ever since the death of his wife years ago, but he still has connections in Portland—leads that he can lean on to get information about where his pig might be. Rob's quest plunges him into the weird world of underground fighting, in which people earn money by taking punches; he visits bakeries, restaurants, his former residence from back when he was married and, ultimately, the home of Amir's dad Darius (Arkin), a shady, powerful, menacing man.

Precisely because the plot is so threadbare, I can't say much more regarding the film's major events without revealing too much. It's interesting that many critics have compared this film to the John Wick series; I assume it's because Rob turns out to have a massive reputation in some circles, and his return to civilization is a shock to people who thought he must have died, just as the baddies in the John Wick movies are shocked to find out that the angel of death himself has returned to hunt them.

So with such a simple plot, a lot hinges on things like the movie's acting, its pacing, and its cinematography. The acting here is top-notch, even from young Alex Wolff as Amir, a character who seems superficial at first, but who acquires depth as we come to know more about him, his past, his ambitions, and his prickly relationship with his driven, dangerous father. Adam Arkin is quietly threatening as Darius, but he gets a powerful emotional moment toward the end of the film that is, in itself, a master class in minimalist acting. Arkin doesn't get nearly as much screen time as Cage and Wolff, but he makes an indelible impression. The movie is, of course, carried largely by Cage himself, and once again, Cage shows his best self by giving us a restrained delivery (I'm reminded of the contained frustration and fury of Jack Nicholson's character in "About Schmidt"), just as he did in the movie "Joe." The movie's pacing, meanwhile, is slow and meditative: the story is less about plot than it is about the exploration of character—how Rob interacts with Amir, how people in Portland react when they see Rob again for the first time in years, how Amir stands in the fearsome shadow of his father. All of this is shown to us through long, steady, deliberate shots and plenty of stare-y pauses. Any comparisons to the John Wick films have nothing to do with pacing. In terms of cinematography, "Pig" is beautifully shot, giving us grand views of the Oregonian wilderness and an often-gray, shadowy, washed-out Portland. Michael Sarnoski has done yeoman's work for a first-time director. The result of his efforts is artful.

Perhaps most striking to me is a moment that occurs somewhere around the middle of the film. Rob, through Amir, has finagled a reservation at a posh restaurant called Eurydice. Rob demands to speak with the head chef, a man named Derek (David Knell), who used to work as a prep cook in a restaurant once owned by Rob back in the day. Derek may know something about who took Rob's pig. Rob reminds Derek that, when Derek worked for him, he fired Derek for constantly overcooking the pasta... and then Rob launches into a searing speech about the need to be authentic and to follow one's dreams instead of pursuing things that might be profitable, but which lack substance. Rob reminds Derek that Derek had once wanted to start up his own version of an English pub; instead, Derek has ended up doing cutting-edge cuisine—not because that's where his heart is at, but because that's where the money is at. It's a powerful, impassioned, memorable speech that Rob gives, and it made the movie for me on many levels: it worked as a character moment, and it worked as a reminder to the viewer to go out and sincerely pursue happiness instead of selling out or merely settling for less. And it was in that moment that I could see how Rob had made a reputation for himself in both the world of cuisine and the underground-fighting circuit: he is an uncompromising, steely soul who will never surrender.

"Pig" is a many-layered film that is all about characterization. If you're into slow, meditative character studies, you'll appreciate this movie. If you're looking for action, well, look elsewhere; this film isn't for you. "Pig" takes its time as we follow Rob's quest for his beloved animal, and it slowly puts together a bunch of character-moments that ultimately reveal something deep about the three main characters the story focuses on. It's one of those films that's going to sit with me for a while, I think, and I highly recommend it to you.