Let’s be real about the late 2010s for a second. It was a weird time for action cinema, especially if you were tracking the "VOD era" of legacy stars. People were writing off big names left and right, but then A Score to Settle movie dropped in 2019, and it reminded everyone that Nicolas Cage doesn't just "do" action; he inhabits a specific kind of operatic grief that most actors are too afraid to touch.
It’s not a perfect film. Not even close.
But it's fascinating.
Directed by Shawn Ku—the guy who gave us the incredibly heavy Beautiful Boy back in 2010—this movie tries to do something different with the tired "old man out for revenge" trope. You know the one. The John Wick clones. The Taken rip-offs. Here, we get Frank Carver. He’s been in prison for 19 years, taking the fall for a mob boss. He’s got a fatal condition called insomnia that’s literally rotting his brain, and he has a very short window to either reconnect with his son or kill everyone who wronged him.
He tries to do both. It goes about as well as you’d expect.
The Weird, Gritty Heart of Frank Carver
Frank isn't a superhero. That's the first thing you notice when watching A Score to Settle movie. He’s shaky. He’s out of touch. When he gets out of prison, he goes to a high-end hotel and spends a ridiculous amount of money on a bed because he just wants to sleep. There’s a vulnerability there that feels earned. Cage plays Frank with this simmering, low-level exhaustion that occasionally spikes into that classic "Cage Rage" we all pay to see, but it’s anchored by a genuine sadness.
The relationship with his son, Joey (played by Noah Le Gros), is the actual spine of the film.
It’s awkward. It’s painful.
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They go to a dress shop. They go to dinner. Frank tries to buy his way back into his son's life with the "blood money" he tucked away two decades ago. These scenes are actually more intense than the shootouts. You can feel the nineteen years of missed birthdays and resentment sitting between them like a physical weight. Most action movies would skip this stuff to get to the gunfights, but Ku lingers on it. He makes you sit in the discomfort of a father trying to explain why he chose a crime family over his actual family.
Honestly, the insomnia angle is where the movie gets trippy. It’s not just a plot device to make him tired; it’s used to create a sense of unreliable narration. As the audience, you start questioning what’s real and what’s a sleep-deprived hallucination. This isn't Inception, but it adds a layer of psychological grit that sets it apart from the standard bargain-bin thriller.
Behind the Scenes: The Cast and the Vibe
You’ve got Benjamin Bratt showing up as "Q," the old friend/enemy. Bratt is always solid, providing a smooth, corporate-mobster foil to Cage’s disheveled mess. The contrast works. Bratt represents the life Frank could have had if he stayed in the game, while Frank represents the literal wreckage of that lifestyle.
- Noah Le Gros as Joey: He brings a surprising amount of soul to the role. He doesn't just play "angry son." He plays "son who wants to love his dad but doesn't know how."
- Karolina Wydra as Simone: She provides a moment of humanity in a world that is otherwise pretty bleak.
- The Cinematography: It’s shot by Mark Dobrescu, who uses a lot of muted tones. It looks like a long, cold afternoon in the Pacific Northwest, which fits the mood perfectly.
The production was relatively modest. It was filmed in British Columbia, Canada. If you look closely at the "city" shots, you can see that classic Vancouver/Victoria architecture that stands in for just about anywhere in North America. It gives the movie a grounded, slightly chilly atmosphere. It doesn't feel like a sunny Hollywood set; it feels like a damp, regretful Tuesday.
Why People Still Debate the Ending
No spoilers here, but the third act of A Score to Settle movie is where people usually get divided. Some critics felt it took a turn that was too melodramatic. Others, myself included, think the twist is what makes the whole thing worth watching. It recontextualizes everything you saw in the first hour.
It turns a revenge flick into a tragedy.
If you go into this expecting The Rock or Con Air, you're going to be disappointed. This is much closer to Cage's work in Joe or even Pig. It’s character-driven. The action is sparse but violent. When Frank finally pulls a gun, it doesn't feel cool. It feels desperate. It feels like a man who has run out of words and only has lead left.
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Addressing the Critics: Is It Actually Good?
Look, if you check Rotten Tomatoes, the scores aren't going to blow you away. It sits in that "mixed" territory. But critics often miss the point of these mid-budget genre experiments. They want every movie to redefine cinema. Sometimes, you just want to see an Oscar-winner play a guy who hasn't slept in twenty years trying to navigate a world that passed him by.
The pacing is a bit wonky.
The middle drags.
However, the "Goldilocks Zone" of Nic Cage movies—where the film is just weird enough to be interesting but grounded enough to be moving—is exactly where this lives. It’s a movie about the price of loyalty. Frank Carver stayed loyal to a fault, and it cost him his entire life. The "score" he’s settling isn't just with the mob; it’s with himself.
Actionable Insights for the Cinephile
If you're planning on diving into this one, or if you've seen it and want to explore more of this specific niche, here's how to approach it.
Watch for the visual cues regarding Frank's health. The way the camera focus shifts and the sound design warps is meant to mimic Frank's deteriorating mental state. Pay attention to the colors. Bright, saturated colors usually represent his hope or his memories, while the present day is washed out.
Pair it with other "Late-Era Cage" gems. To really appreciate where A Score to Settle movie fits in the Cage-verse, you should watch it alongside Mandy (for the style) and Pig (for the emotional depth). It sits right in the middle of those two extremes.
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Consider the theme of "The Ghost." Frank is essentially a ghost. He died in prison 19 years ago, and he’s just haunting his old life. Once you view the movie through that lens—that he’s a man who shouldn't be there—the ending becomes much more impactful.
Check the soundtrack. The score, composed by Frank Hall, is surprisingly evocative for a film of this scale. It uses strings in a way that feels almost like a Western, which makes sense because Frank is basically the lone gunslinger riding into town for one last stand.
How to Get the Most Out of Your Viewing
Don't treat this as background noise. If you scroll on your phone during the quiet scenes between Frank and Joey, you'll miss the emotional payoff. It’s a "slow burn" action movie, which sounds like an oxymoron, but it’s a real sub-genre.
- Focus on the eyes. Cage does a lot of work with his eyes in this movie. The exhaustion is palpable.
- Listen to the dialogue. Some of it is intentionally clunky because Frank doesn't know how people talk in the 21st century.
- Watch the background. The locations are chosen to reflect Frank's isolation. Empty bars, quiet parks, sterile hotel rooms.
Basically, A Score to Settle movie is a study in regret. It’s about a man trying to fix a broken vase with superglue while his hands are shaking. It’s messy, it’s a bit ugly, but it’s human. And in an era of CGI-heavy blockbusters where nobody ever seems to actually get hurt, seeing a character who is physically and mentally falling apart is a breath of fresh air.
If you want to see a different side of the revenge genre, give it a shot. Just don't expect a happy ending. This isn't that kind of story. It's a story about what happens after the fire goes out and you're just left staring at the ashes.
For those looking to explore the film further, check out the director's commentary if you can find it on the physical release. Ku talks extensively about the challenges of filming in a short window and how Cage brought a level of preparation to the role that surprised the entire crew. He didn't just show up and say lines; he helped shape Frank's specific physical tics. That's the difference between a paycheck role and a performance, and in this film, Cage is definitely performing.