Good direction will always trump acting skills. A good director could take all of us and make a decent movie.
Nicholas Cage does tend stick to a certain persona, but at least it's a unique one. His recent movies have blown me away though, they've just been awesome scripts, awesome direction, and perfect for Cage. Weather Man, Lord of War, Matchstick Men, and Adaptation are all movies that would be very different without Cage.
I also though National Treasure was one of the better adventure movies recently. It definitely got my students interested in the US History.