Nicholas Cage has had a long and varied career. He's played international criminals, nerdy treasure hunters and flame-skulled demon slayers.

With a career like his, there are certain to be some hidden gems that fall through the cracks. Here are 8 lesser-known Cage movies you should watch.

Matchstick Men

Whether it's daughter/father drama or a little bit of heist action, this movie has something for everyone. Not to mention an incredible performance from Cage, who plays a con man with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Photography: Warner Bros.

Windtalkers

World War 2 movies come a dime-a-dozen, but this one shouldn't be overlooked. Cage plays a physically and emotionally damaged soldier assigned to protect a Native American radio operator.

Photography: MGM

Guarding Tess

Most movies about the Secret Service are dramatic and only follow the agents that guard the president. This movie, however, is a comedy about the Secret Service agents assigned to Tess, an insufferable former First Lady.

Photography: TriStar Pictures

The Weather Man

This movie is one of Cage's more restrained roles. It showcases his acting range and his emotional subtlety.

Photography: Paramount Pictures

Honeymoon in Vegas

It's hard to pin down Cage's feelings about Sin City. From taking roles in "Leaving Las Vegas" to "Honeymoon in Vegas," to him moving to Las Vegas in real life, no one can pin down how he actually feels about the city.

Photography: MGM

Bringing Out The Dead

The legendary Martin Scorsese teamed up with Cage for this 1999 psychological drama. Honestly, what more do you need to know?

Photography: Paramount Pictures

8MM

To put it lightly, this movie is controversial. It's a dark thriller about an investigator (Cage) looking into the origins of a snuff film. Cage, himself, considers it to be a horror film and the content is unapologetically horrifying.

Photography: Columbia Pictures

It Could Happen to You

This is one of the few romantic comedies in Cage's repertoire. He plays a broke cop who offers a waitress 50% of the potential winnings from a lottery ticket in the place of a tip for his meal. In a stroke of dramatic irony, the ticket turns out to be a winner.

Photography: TriStar Pictures