The Surfer

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The Surfer

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1h 43m

Mystery & Thriller

Drama

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Popcornmeter

86%

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140 Reviews

46%

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250+ Verified Ratings

In the psychological thriller directed by Lorcan Finnegan, a man returns to the idyllic beach of his childhood to surf with his son. But his desire to hit the waves is thwarted by a group of locals whose mantra is "don't live here, don't surf here." Humiliated and angry, the man is drawn into a conflict that keeps rising in concert with the punishing heat of the summer and pushes him to his breaking point.

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Critics Consensus

Nicolas Cage expertly rides the waves of toxic masculinity in this sand filled arena of torment.

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Audience Says

While the story is too flat for most to ride, Nicolas Cage beguiles as The Surfer, and the iconic Australian backdrop makes for a stunning screensaver.

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Sandra Hall

Sydney Morning Herald

...although there should be a moral in [the plot] somewhere, the result is so risible and Cage’s performance so ridiculous that all you can do is laugh.

Rated: 2/5

May 14, 2025

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Mark Kermode

Kermode and Mayo's Take (YouTube)

Cosmic philosophizing turns into something kind of like Iron John toxic masculinity with a little Dostoevsky's The Devils... Freakingly bonkers.

May 14, 2025

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Maxwell Rabb

Chicago Reader

The film is full of recycled commentary on the dangers of hypermasculinity, but it doesn’t pretend to be something it’s not—just ride the wave, and you’ll have a good time.

May 12, 2025

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Anthony Morris

It's Better in the Dark

Fortunately this is Nicolas Cage we're dealing with, and his ability to finely judge just how over-the-top his performance should be is put to good use here

May 14, 2025

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Jackie K. Cooper

jackiekcooper.com

Another crazy Nicolas Cage movie,

Rated: 6/10

May 13, 2025

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Stephen A. Russell

ScreenHub

A strangely engaging and deliberately frustrating mystery, it pops like the neon-coloured zinc on a snarling surfer bro’s nose.

May 13, 2025

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Sean

Good atmosphere, wish Nick Cage Caged out more though, but overall a good movie.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

05/14/25

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Ben W

Interesting.. surprisingly palatable, in a way. Not just the abductions a movie that I thought I was going to see. Definitely had its twists and psychedelic trip scenes, but subverted that quickly.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

05/14/25

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Mary F

This was one of the worst movies I have seen recently. I dont understand why it received such good ratings from rotten tomatoes. I based my decision on those ratings and was disappointed. This seemed to be a very low budget film and seemed very sinister.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

05/13/25

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Harvey E

My preference would be a rating of no stars. It's an awful movie with terrible screenwriting, subjecting the audience to an unending series of unrealistic events. It's an unwatchable mess.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

05/13/25

Full Review

Rowena P

Suspenseful!! Nicolas Cage again gives an amazing performance of a man who just wants to surf with his son at the beach where he grew up as a kid but has to contend with locals who bar his way. This film is much more than that so I don't want to spoil anything! Tense psychological thriller!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/13/25

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Daryl

wait for it to be on TV, it's not worth paying a premium for. this movie is the closest I've been to walking out of in years.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

05/13/25

Full Review

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Lorcan Finnegan

Director

Nicolas Cage

The Surfer

Julian McMahon

Scally

Nicholas Cassim

The Bum

Miranda Tapsell

The Photographer

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The Surfer: Movie Clip - My Board

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The Surfer: Exclusive Featurette - Eat the Rat

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The Surfer: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

In the psychological thriller directed by Lorcan Finnegan, a man returns to the idyllic beach of his childhood to surf with his son. But his desire to hit the waves is thwarted by a group of locals whose mantra is "don't live here, don't surf here." Humiliated and angry, the man is drawn into a conflict that keeps rising in concert with the punishing heat of the summer and pushes him to his breaking point.

Director: Lorcan Finnegan
Producer: Leonora Darby, James Harris, Robert Connolly, James Grandison, Brunella Cocchiglia, Nicolas Cage, Nathan Klingher
Screenwriter: Thomas Martin
Distributor: Lionsgate / Roadside Attractions
Production Co: Arenamedia, Tea Shop Productions
Rating: R (Some Violence|Drug Content|Sexual Material|Language|Suicide)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 2, 2025, Wide
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.2M
Runtime: 1h 43m

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