Release Date: November 20, 2009
Studio: Millennium Films
Genre: Crime/Drama
Rated R   1hr 22 mins

CAST:

Nicolas Cage:  Terence McDonagh
Eva Mendes:  Frankie Donnenfeld
Val Kilmer:  Stevie Pruit
Xzibit:  Big Fate

Nicolas Cage’s career has gone downhill the last couple years - and by downhill I mean he’s making Oprah money on uninteresting and pedestrian projects. He came into the ‘00s on a high note with great films like Adaptation and the underrated Matchstick Men, but he hasn’t made a truly good flick since the middle of the decade (Lord of War). I’ve been wondering for a while now if Cage’s zany independent films he made between blockbusters were a thing of the past, but after watching Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, he may yet have some life left in him. (I’ll try not to be a hypocrite by stating that I have enjoyed some of his recent work. The first National Treasure is harmless fun and Knowing had a few interesting parts as well, but none of them by any means should be classified as good films.)

So when Cage signed on to Werner Herzog’s remake/re-imagination/reinterpretation of Abel Ferrara’s Bad Lieutenant, I was certainly intrigued (and Ferrara was pissed - he publicly wished that everyone involved in the project would blow up in a streetcar). Herzog is a director with a background full of lauded films; many wondered just what the hell he was doing with a remake of all things. And X-to-the-Z Xzibit was going to be in it? Was someone’s car in need of a pimping that I was unaware of? But it turns out that after all these years of filmmaking, Herzog just might know what’s he’s doing.

Cage is Terrence McDonagh, a sergeant with the New Orleans police department. During Hurricane Katrina, he rescues a prisoner trapped in a flooded cell, but injures his back in the process. After earning a promotion for his effort (to lieutenant, of course), McDonagh learns that he will have chronic back pain for the rest of his life. He gets a prescription for Vicodin and we fast-forward six months. McDonagh is now a junkie due to his pain, and he tries to get his hands on absolutely every drug he can, through whatever means necessary.

McDonagh is put in charge of investigating the murder of a family that was gunned down in their own home. The father was dealing heroin, and it’s become the department’s primary objective to find those responsible. While dealing with the pressures of the job, McDonagh must find sources to fuel his addiction, which includes shaking down people on the street, stealing from the evidence lock-up at the station, and getting his prescription meds (by himself if he has to). He’s also involved with his prostitute girlfriend Frankie (Eva Mendes), who has her own set of problems, including an unruly client.

Make no mistake, this is solely Nicolas Cage’s film. Any minor subplots involve Cage, and he’s in just about every scene. For a man whose performances have been largely criticized in recent years, he turns in a pretty good, albeit bizarre showing. His character is completely unhinged and gets more off-the-wall as the film progresses. At times, Cage can be a bit distracting, but overall it’s a strong return to independent cinema for the actor.

In the end, Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans is a solid, yet very odd film. One of the things that popped into my head was that all of the casual movie fans who will rent Bad Lieutenant simply because of Cage’s face on the cover probably don’t know what they’re in for. But for those in the know, the film’s certainly an adventure (and a strangely comical one at times too). While it may not be close to the best film Cage has done (or Herzog’s made), it’s certainly worth a watch and recommended.

Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans

April 11, 2010

Reviewer: Gregory J.

DIRECTOR:

Werner Herzog

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