Following a personal tragedy, a man of once high standing retreats into the Oregon wilderness to live the lonely life of truffle hunter away from the rest of society in order to escape the pain of his past. When his beloved foraging pig is stolen however, he returns to the seedy underground of the world he had left behind to confront some familiar faces and get back what was taken from him. Sounds like the premise for a good action movie, right? Well, Pig is like the total antithesis to that. As if writer and director Michael Sarnoski watched something along the lines of John Wick and thought to himself "what if the character solved the problem nonviolently?" In a time when we're seeing Nicolas Cage's name attached to only the strangest, most outlandish projects out there right now, such a serious and thoughtful drama may seem like a disappointingly normal choice for the Mandy star. Right from the beginning we're treated to lingering shots of outdoor scenery and a quiet tone reminiscent of contemporary arthouse flicks that slowly opens up into a emotional tale about love, loss, and what's really important in life. We also witness Cage give a more grounded performance where even in the chances he does have to raise his voice it's done without the usual tinge of insanity that's sort of built his brand. I assure you though, this just as weird as anything he's been in lately. For all it's thematic depth and complexity there's an inherent strand of goofiness running throughout the entire thing. The way the story portrays the selling of rare fungus to restauranteurs as being a dark and dangerous business is so absurd it can only be true. The National Treasure himself even walks around with a bloody, beaten face like a man on a warpath to the concern of absolutely nobody. That's because this is low-key parodying brutal revenge cinema. It's never explicit with its jabs at this other style of film so the experience is far from comedic, but those really paying attention will pick up on the subtle undercurrent of humor present in the plot. It ends up being the perfect touch as it makes the experience just off-kilter enough to fit it's leading man while still maintaining the air of poignancy and depth that has won it so much acclaim. I do wish its peculiarity had been allowed to shine through a little more though. Particularly in those first 30 or so minutes where you're somewhat bored trying to figure out what the narrative is going for. Yet, when it starts to finally come together you get a solemn, albeit moving narrative that preaches basic human decency over aggression. Making it a delightful oddity with something to say in the career of an actor who's appeared in a bunch of them that don't.