9 Actors Who Made Better Versions Of Previous Films

2. Nicolas Cage - Ghost Rider & Drive Angry

Shortly before he committed himself to tirelessly starring in straight-to-video schlock, Nicolas Cage headlined the 2007 superhero movie Ghost Rider, playing Johnny Blaze, a man who falls foul of a pact with the Devil (Peter Fonda), gets help from a veteran character actor (Sam Elliott), battles one of the Devil's illegitimate sons, Blackheart (Wes Bentley), and retains his demonic powers at the end of the movie, much to the Devil's chagrin.

Four years later, Cage appeared in Drive Angry, playing Milton, a criminal who escapes from Hell and invokes the wrath of Satan after stealing his prized gun. This time Milton finds himself facing off against the Devil's underling The Accountant (William Fichtner) while trying to protect his granddaughter, being assisted by another popular character actor (this time David Morse) and eventually going back to Hell amid an uneasy relationship with Satan.

The similarities between Drive Angry and Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, which released the very next year, are even more potent, with Cage again venturing to protect a child from becoming part of a demonic ritual.

Drive Angry may not be great cinema nor have the stonking $110 million budget of Ghost Rider, but it dabbles in a similar sandbox and delivers a far more self-aware and giddily entertaining time. If Cage wasn't enough entertainment value for you, William Fichtner's also a total blast in it.