Main Cast: Lou Ferrigno, Reb Brown, Michael Dante, Mike Moroff, Marilyn Tokuda
Release Year: 1989
Country: US
Run Time: 101 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
If you've seen TV wrestling, you know what a "caged" bout is. In Cage, it's for real; two testosterone-pumped behemoths are placed in a cage where they duke it out to the death. Lou Ferrigno plays Billy Thomas, the muscle-bound Vietnam vet who is finagled into cage-fighting by a group of mobsters. Scott Monroe (Reb Brown), the man whose life Billy saved in Nam, finds himself (through a series of ludicrous plot twists) facing his former savior in the dreaded cage. We suppose this was meant to be taken seriously, but audiences didn't get the hint; Cage has been greeted with raucous, derisive laughter ever since its 1990 release. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
Cage is a typical, subpar '80s underground fighting flick in every sense except for one -- it features Lou Ferrigno in one of his most challenging roles to date. Acting really never was Lou's strongest point, thanks in part to his speech impediment and extreme hearing loss, but if there was any role to stretch the bodybuilder's chops, it would be the main character here, Billy. Beefed up with extreme muscles, but with the brainpower of a child, Billy plays to Ferrigno's weaknesses and gives him the opportunity to emote far more than any role that he was offered before or since. Now this isn't to say that the performance is great -- in fact, it offers endless bits of hilarity in the form of everything from repeated gay subtext to a tender scene showcasing some real Ferrigno tears -- nevertheless, it is an admirable feat from the forgotten action hero. Other noteworthy credits belong to the mini-Die Hard reunion that features both James Shigeta and famed stuntman/bit actor Al Leong, along with a brief appearance by future Robert Rodriguez collaborator Danny Trejo. Cage is known to most that know it to be a laughable mess, though it was somehow successful enough to sport a sequel four years later with Cage 2: Arena of Death. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
James Shigeta - Tim Lum Yin; Branscombe Richmond - Diablo; Al Ruscio - Costello; Daniel Martine - Mono; Jeff Benson - East Coast Champ; Carl Ciarfalio - Hood #1; Larry Duran - Chinese Guard #2; Matthias Hues - Italian Fighter; Rion Hunter - Chao Tung; Queen Kong - Gang Girl; Dana Lee - Pang; Tiger Chung Lee - Chang; Al Leong - Tiger Joe; Valerie McIntosh - Ruby; Jerry Potter - Texan #1; Jimmie F. Skaggs - Ugly Guy; Paul Sorenson - Matt; Charles Tamburro - Pilot; Eddie Wong - Bad Guy #2; Phil Culotta - Casey; Ted Bolczak - Texan #2; Ed Ulrich - Door Gunner; Danny Wong - Bad Guy #3; Jeff Cadiente - Sleepy Guy
Credit
Edward A. Ezor - Associate Producer, Ketrick Kelley - Consultant/advisor, Jack Roe - Co-producer, Sandra Culotta - Costume Designer, Lang Elliott - Director, Hugh Kelley - Director, Mark Westmore - Editor, Larry J. Lebow - Executive Producer, Michael Wetherwax - Composer (Music Score), Joe Altadonna - Production Designer, Jacques Haitkin - Cinematographer, Lang Elliott - Producer, Phil Culotta - Stunts, Hugh Kelley - Screenwriter
