Paul Schrader's film Dying of the Light had its intended expressionistic color palette massaged down to a more functional style by the film's backers during post-production. The finished film, starring Nicolas Cage as a CIA agent facing encroaching dementia, is an inert affair where even Cage's acting is less manic than usual. Schrader's career has languished in recent years as he has alienated producers and supporters while pursuing personal projects off the map at the cost of commercial success.