Hadrian7

I think Penn's a better actor and has a better overall quality to his films, but if given a choice I would always opt to watch a Cage film. There is just something to be said for being entertaining, and Cage's films have that going for them at least.

TomOpus

mndtrp

I think Penn is the better actor and has less crap. Cage seems to play the same person in almost all of his movies, and he isn't someone that I can see on the poster and have a good idea that I'm going to like the film.

inri222

Sean Penn over Nicolas Coppola anytime.
Some of my faves :
Mystic River
Carlito's Way
The Assassination of Richard Nixon
Dead Man Walking
The Falcon & the Snowman
21 Grams
State of Grace
At Close Range
Casualties of War
The Thin Red Line

And let's not even get into Penn as a director 4 for 4 in my book (The Indian Runner, The Crossing Guard, The Pledge, Into The Wild).

resinrats

I don't think I've seen a single movie with Sean Penn in it. I have enjoyed movies with Cage in it so he wins. He'd win on Con Air alone.

FRwL

Cage is the only modern day actor of the last couple of years who appears in kind-of movies, and wings his performances (w/ the exception of Bad Lieutenant) and yet... is still strangely likable through all of it and thus heck my favorite modern actor fake ass wig bedamned. I do enjoy his more escapist flicks his career has turned to.

foofighters7

this isn't even close. Cage has did way too many crappy films where he was pretty crappy too.

Penn has had a few misfires but nothing like Cage.

Howie2000

Sean Penn has a better average but then again he does more mediocre Oscar Bait films which are showcases for great performances but not great filmmaking as opposed to Cage who has made a lot of shitty studio films that would suck and no one would be talking about the performances even if Helen Mirren or Laurience Olivier were in his place. The half dozen or so Cage performances I like I think the films will hold up in time as classics. I think Penn has a ton of performances that will hold up but I can't think of a single film of his that will hold up on its own over time where he has a substantial role besides Fast Times.

JumpCutz

Dead Man Walking
Carlito's Way
Milk
21 Grams
At Close Range
Sweet and Lowdown
State of Grace

Charlie Goose

I like films from each guy. Penn is the better actor, although overrated in my opinion. Cage is responsible for a lot of shitty movies. On a personal note, both seem like giant dicks.
So in conclusion, fuck the two of them.

Paul1957

Better actor Penn, better career Cage.

My Other Self

I've always liked Nic Cage movies for the most part. He's had a hell of a lot of stinkers but Sean Penn doesn't do much for me. I'm not saying I don't like the guy, but if I had to pick one of the two it'd be Cage.

davidh777

Con Air is high cheese but a guilty pleasure for me. And I'd add the National Treasure films to the popcorn list. But I'd vote for Penn.

Fist of Doom

Nic Cage for me. Sure he's made a lot of dreck, but most of it is easily avoidable (really, if you wasted your time watching Season of the Witch or The Sorcerer's Apprentice, you have only yourself to blame).

Love:
Matchstick Men
The Rock
Raising Arizona

Enjoy:
National Treasure 1&2
Lord of War
8MM
Face/Off
Valley Girl
Kick-Ass

I browsed Penn's filmography, and didn't find any films I love (his role in The Thin Red Line is tiny).

conscience

I really like the first two and the third is good for at least a watch. The Weather Man is seriously under-appreciated and Cage gives a really good performance. Too bad it didn't make any traction when it was released. If the Best Actor category hadn't already been stacked that year with five top notch performances, Cage's presence in the category for this film would have been great.

I think Cage has had the better career (although, lately, he has starred in some really crappy films one after the other), but Penn is the better actor.

Favorite performances from Penn:

At Close Range - probably his best, IMO
Colors
Carlito's Way
Dead Man Walking
The Thin Red Line
Sweet and Lowdown
I Am Sam
21 Grams
Mystic River
This Must Be the Place

I think his work in Milk is pretty overrated and, IMO, is actually a slightly toned down version of his I Am Sam performance...

Favorite performances from Cage:

-Raising Arizona
-Moonstruck
-Wild at Heart
-Leaving Las Vegas
-Face/Off
-Bringing out the Dead
-Adaptation.
-Matchstick Men
-The Weather Man
-The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans

Kory

This.

On another note, I think "The Weather Man" is really underrated.

Shannon Nutt

Penn may have a better quality career, but I guarantee you Cage has had a more fun career. Who cares about quality - if they keep paying you and you enjoy it, make whatever movies you want.

Groucho

Penn. Cage has way too many stinkers he did for the paycheck on his resume.

Ash Ketchum

Penn takes himself way too seriously and, in my opinion, that colors his performances and choice of roles, so Cage gets points simply for not taking himself too seriously. Maybe if Penn made movies like GHOST RIDER and IRON MAN (like Downey), I'd like him better.

Jaymole

You must have hated DeNiro up until the last 20 years.

JumpCutz

So if me makes a piece of shit comic book movie where he phones in his performance, you'd like him better?

mike7162

Sean Penn is one of those guys whose personal life ruins his acting persona for me (see Russell Crowe) - the Madonna thing, the press fights, the third World savior act have all colored my opinion of him as an actor over the years. However, as a director, I find his films superlative, and if anyone ever asks me for a recommendation for something off the grid, I recommend any one of his four films.

I've always found Nicholas Cage to be a tremendously likeable guy, whose offscreen life and talent have morphed into a goofy brilliance that is compelling even at his least committed. So, for me it's Nick Cage

Ash Ketchum

De Niro was great in his great Scorsese movies--MEAN STREETS, TAXI DRIVER, RAGING BULL, GOODFELLAS and his early De Palma movies--GREETINGS and HI MOM, not to mention THE DEER HUNTER. But he never took himself too seriously, never talked too much off-camera--in fact he hardly ever talked at all---and never put himself in the center of causes. He just got up there, made a great movie occasionally, and worked for the paycheck the rest of the time. I don't have to see him in ROCKY AND BULLWINKLE or any of his other dreck, but I can watch GOODFELLAS any time I want. If Penn had done anything comparable to MEAN STREETS et al, I'd be a lot easier on him.

Take George Clooney...please! He's proven his movie star chops and made entertaining movies and I'd love to see him in a western. He does take himself too seriously off-camera and keeps inserting himself into causes, but he's done enough of the kinds of high-profile star projects that I've enjoyed to varying degrees--e.g. ONE FINE DAY, OUT OF SIGHT, THREE KINGS, OCEAN'S ELEVEN, O BROTHER WHERE ART THOU, BURN AFTER READING, heck, even FROM DUSK TILL DAWN deserves some props--all of the type that Penn would never do, that I tend to give Clooney a pass. I can ignore Clooney's off-camera blather when he turns in an effortless star performance in stuff like OUT OF SIGHT or THREE KINGS. And when he does a serious personal project, it's a worthy effort like GOOD NIGHT AND GOOD LUCK, which I thought was at least very good. I haven't even seen Penn's directorial efforts because they all sound like such slogs to sit through. (Although I do need to see INDIAN RUNNER for Charles Bronson.)

Maybe I'm being unfair to Penn, but there's something about him that just turns me off from the get-go. And I always found his Spicoli extremely obnoxious and deserving of a swift kick in the ass.

FRwL

Cage somehow fits in this b-movie style in a way, he's definitely going into a Vincent Price territory now which makes it better, aka Season of the Witch, Nat'l treasure, Ghost Rdier, Sorceror's Apprentice. I hope he continues on! In fact he should play the main in the next I Am Legend.

dvdjunkie32

Penn is the better actor because he is able to transform himself into different roles. We usually get the same ole crazy eyed Nic or bland Nic in his movies.

Carlitos Way is a prime example of Penn's amazing transformation and acting ability. He totally sold me on that character.