At this point in his long and illustrious career, Nicolas Cage has become more of a force of nature than mere actor. He’s like the weather: always in the process of making movies, with no rhyme or reason dictating which ones will be good, which ones will be bad, and which ones will be bad in a way that makes you feel good. Sometimes it rains, sometimes the sun shines, and while we can try as we may to predict the forecast, you can never tell how much fun a Nicolas Cage picture will be until you’re watching it.

The forecast on upcoming SXSW selection The Trust looks pretty clement, judging from the newly unveiled trailer. Nic Cage teams with Elijah Wood for this pulpy black comedy about a pair of bumbling cops who discover a long and winding trail through the criminal back-alleys of Vegas that will eventually, hopefully, lead them to a windfall of cash. The Cage and The Wood (how is this movie not titled The Cage and the Wood?) notice an unusually high bail receipt for a simple drug bust, pull on a few loose threads, and get in over their heads in short order. The two actors have a completely unexpected comic chemistry, with Cage’s undue sense of cavalier self-assurance clashing nicely with the perpetually fretting Wood. His nervous attempt to stop a receptionist from making a call is gold, the clear highlight of the trailer. As if this project wasn’t already odd enough, The Trust has wrangled the likes of Jerry Lewis and alterna-pop singer Sky Ferreira for supporting roles.

But most excitingly, this trailer finds Cage actually giving a damn once again, reminding audiences of the charismatic live-wire that earned their admiration and awards gold during the ’80s and ’90s. We never stopped rooting for Nicolas Cage, and those of us who stuck with him through Left Behind and Dying of the Light last year will now reap our reward.

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