10 Potentially Awful 2014 Movies That Turned Out Great

10. Joe

Why it could have been awful: It hardly needs to be said that Nicolas Cage's star has been waning for some time now - the days of great Cage movies looked like it was well and truly a thing of the past. Once the star delivered fine performances in movies like Raising Arizona, Wild At Heart and Leaving Las Vegas, yet in the last decade or so he's better known for such terrible movies as Season Of The Witch, The Wicker Man, Ghost Rider, Drive Angry and... well, the list goes on and on. Expecting yet another Cage flop was hardly pushing the boat out in terms of predicting the quality of Joe. Why it's great: Put simply, Joe sees Nicolas Cage back on fine form, delivering a nuanced and sensitive performance unlike anything he's done for a while. It's a good thing too, since Cage's character Joe Ransom pretty much carries the movie through from start to finish. The story of an ex-con becoming an unlikely role model for a teenage boy could have turned out pretty badly but Cage's portrayal of Joe combined with a sharp script and smooth direction from David Gordon Green make Joe one of the most engaging independent movies of the year. Let's hope it's the beginning of a new era for Cage, too.