In his cheesy paycheck films, Cage always seems to be cast as some sort of boozing, disheveled film-noir lost soul, and the roles have added up over time into a kind of unconscious confessional symbolism. It’s as if Cage were saying that he’s aware of the toll his sell-out is taking on him. But speaking of confession, maybe he’s about to come back to the fold again: One of his upcoming films is a remake of Abel Ferrara’s wrenchingly depraved, soul-on-the-hot-grill Bad Lieutenant (1992), which Werner Herzog is directing. With any luck, it will mark a return to the kind of high-wire acting that Cage has always done best. I’ve always wondered why he can’t do both at once: make those slovenly genre films that critics thumb their noses at but that rule the box office for a weekend, then turn around and do stunning independent work with a bold director who is breaking new ground. Maybe Bad Lieutenant will be that film. But either way, Cage is far too great an actor to ever leave us asking: When will Nicolas Cage make another good movie?